Blood and Vengeance
by evgrrl09
Summary: Due to a strained family situation, Derek goes deep undercover in one of the most vicious drug rings in the country. When his cover is blown, the gang leader abducts Penelope and their two children, leading Morgan on a vicious chase that could very well kill him and his family. Morgan/Garcia. Rated M for sexual content and violence.
1. We Just Got Divorced Sex

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **So I have tried to stave off this, but I can no longer. This is a story that I've been thinking about for a long time, and I could not stop thinking about it, so I decided to write it. This is a rather violent/angsty one, so please bear with me in it. I hope you'll enjoy it!**

 **Many thanks to PolHop and CeeCee333 for helping me with the outline for this story! I couldn't have done it without you guys.**

"Did you sign them?"

Derek looked up from his desk where a set of crisp legal papers was. He swallowed hard as his eyes met his wife's. Penelope stood before him with her arms crossed over her chest. Her face was blank as she stared at him.

Holding up the papers, he nodded. "Yeah," he said. His eyes drifted down to their signatures side-by-side on the paper. "All we have to do is file them…then we'll be officially divorced." He rose to his feet and handed them to her. "I, uh, I wanted to make sure you aren't going to try and file for full custody of Idina and Fox."

"No," she murmured. "I would never do that to them. Or to you." She fingered the papers in her hands, looking down at them. "You have to promise me you won't forget about them. You have to spend time with them and not let the job get in the way of your relationship with them."

"The way it did with us." His voice was blunt.

She nodded, looking up at him. "The way it did with us," she repeated.

They stood in silence, the ticking of the clock the only sound in the room as the time neared midnight. Derek nodded as he reminded himself he was going to be going home to his practically empty apartment. He made no effort to speak after she repeated his statement. What more was there to say?

"I'll kiss them goodnight for you when I go home," she told him.

All he did was nod before turning his back on her. His thoughts went to his children, his wonderful and spirited kids who he would do anything for. How would their parents' divorce affect them?

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of his office door closing. Turning around, he expected to see an empty room. Instead though, he found Penelope still there with her back to him. He watched as she locked the door and turned to face him. She strode forward with purpose, tossing the paper on his desk again. Without saying a word, she shoved him backwards against the wall. She grabbed his face and pulled him into a fiery kiss, shocking him completely.

The moment he tasted the lips he loved so much, though, nothing else mattered. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her with the ferocity that couldn't be restrained. Confusion gave way to desire. Hoisting her into his arms, he carried her to his desk, setting her on top of it to allow himself better access to her.

Penelope broke their kiss in order to pull her shirt up over her head. He revealed her lacy black bra, and a growl escaped his throat. No matter what, no matter how long they would be apart, he would always remember her breasts. They were perfect.

Derek's lips descended to the budded nipple that could be seen through the sheer lace of her bra. Tingles of pleasure shot straight to his groin, making him harder. She moaned against his lips, snaking her hand toward his belt buckle to undo it. She slid her hand into his pants, grasping his thick length. He groaned as shocks ran through his body.

"Fuck," he grunted as she ran her hand up and down his cock.

"That's what I want you to do to me," she hissed, pushing his pants down so they fell to his ankles.

His hand shot beneath her skirt to rip her underwear. He stuck his finger inside of her silky wetness. When his hand came out from beneath her clothes, it was coated in her juices. He looked into her eyes, her pupils fully dilated in her aroused state.

"What are we doing?" he grunted, keeping his hands on her thighs.

She unhooked her bra, baring the breasts she knew were like a drug to him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer so her breath was hot on his face. Her fingers traced circles on the back of his neck.

"Isn't it obvious?" Her voice came out husky, sending shivers up his spine. "We're having 'we just got divorced sex'."

Derek took a moment to think about this, how it was a bad idea to play with fire. But this was Penelope, and playing with fire meant scalding himself. But that didn't matter to him.

So instead of speaking, he pulled her skirt down so it slid to the floor. She ripped at his shirt buttons to run her nails up his muscular abdomen. He took a moment to gaze at her, her head thrown back as she waited expectantly for him to start suckling on her breasts like he usually did when they had sex. Her lily white skin glowed beneath the dim lights of his office, and his groin throbbed even harder. Lifting her glistening thighs, she pulled her all the way to the edge of his desk so he could push into her slick warmth.

"Oh, God!" she cried, digging her nails into his shoulders. Her breath came in frantic exhales. They urged Derek on, making him strive for to bring pleasure to the woman who had utterly broken his heart, just in the way he had broken her spirit.

He pulled her up into his arms, so she was in his embrace. Sweat made their bodies slick, but not so slippery that he would lose hold of her. He knew full well that this would be the last time he would have her in his arms, and he was going to make the most of it. He refused to believe she left him because of lack of love, but that didn't change her decision.

Penelope moaned low in her throat before shocking Derek completely when she sank her teeth into his throat. She nibbled on his skin, suckling as he moved within her.

Neither of them could control themselves long enough to truly draw out their pleasure. Penelope's lips trailed up to his ear, and she whispered, "I'm about to come. Make me come."

Derek didn't respond; he merely sped up. Eventually, the feel of her hands running down his back took him of the edge. He came in thick pulses, groaning against her neck. Seconds later, her tight walls clamped around him.

They said nothing. Derek leaned down to pull up his pants and redo his buckle, next buttoning his shirt back up. Penelope slid off the desk and pulled her skirt back on; she rehooked her bra and put her shirt back on.

Their eyes met.

"We can't do this again," Derek said. He rubbed the top of his head. _I wouldn't be able to handle it_ , he added silently.

She nodded. "This is the last time," she agreed. "It's what's best."

XXXXX

 _3 Years Later_

"Kids, we're home!" Penelope called as she and Derek walked back into the house after having been gone on a two week case. JJ, now the Unit Chief of the BAU after Hotch had retired, needed Penelope on the case, and therefore she had traveled with them.

Derek followed silently behind her. He wasn't home, of course. Three years after his divorce, and he was still living in his apartment he had been in after Penelope left him. However, he could barely contain his excitement to see his children after two weeks of being apart from them.

"Mom! Dad!"

Twelve year old Fox Morgan came dashing into the foyer with a bright grin on his face. He threw himself into Derek's open arms, hugging him tightly. Smiling with warmth in his face, Derek hugged his son back. The tween boy resembled Penelope's sunny disposition in every possible way. Even his eyes were the same

"Hey, champ," he said, his voice thick.

Fox looked up and allowed his father to ruffle his curly hair. "I'm glad you're home," he said.

"I'm glad to be home," Derek replied. "Go give your mama a hug. She missed you, too."

Without hesitation, Fox rushed over to Penelope to wrap his arms around her. She smiled radiantly, clearly overjoyed to be holding her son in her arms after two weeks of being deprived of seeing him. One thing Derek would always be able to say about his ex-wife was that she loved her children more than the air she needed to survive.

"Hey, my little Time Lord," she said, kissing his forehead as she used the affectionate nickname she had bestowed on him when they began watching Doctor Who together. "You and your sister better have behaved for Grant."

Derek stiffened at the mention of Penelope's boyfriend of two years. The man was the exact opposite of Derek. He was an investment banker, he had golden hair, and he did nothing but smile. He irritated the hell out of Derek.

"Hey," a much softer voice said.

Where Fox acted rambunctious and wild, Idina stayed reserved and serious. She only let her sense of humor come out when she felt completely comfortable. Fox was Penelope's double; Idina was Derek's. She resembled him in every way.

She didn't have any of brother's sunny personality, either. A cloud of depression, diagnosed shortly after her parents split, lay over her.

Descending the stairs, Idina went forward to hug Penelope. She remained silent as she wrapped her arms around her mother. To Derek's great dismay, Idina made no move to hug him.

With concerned eyes, Penelope moved back and cupped her daughter's cheek. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She lowered her voice and tweaked her nose. "Have you been –"

Idina rolled her eyes, pulling back from Penelope's embrace. "Taking my meds?" she grumbled. "Yes."

Derek felt a pang in his heart at the sound of his daughter's voice. He wished with all his heart she would confide in him, like she once had, but since the divorce, none of that relationship truly remained. She blamed him for the split, and she refused to budge on that.

"Dee –" he tried to say.

However, before he could say anything, a booming voice broke out in the foyer. "Welcome home, Penny!"

Grant came into the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron as he went toward Penelope. He planted a loud kiss on her lips. Penelope smiled at him.

"Hey, honey," she murmured, touching his cheek. It irked Derek that she could act so naturally with this other man – this man who wasn't him. What infuriated him was how she could act this way after what they had done on this last case…what they had done three times on that trip alone.

While Penelope and Grant spoke in hushed tones, Derek followed his children into the living room.

"Dee?" he asked, sitting down on the couch next to Idina. "Dee, will you talk to me?" He was damn near begging. He wanted to hear his daughter speaking to him in some form or another.

Idina looked up from her book at him, but barely glanced at him for more than two seconds. "What?" she muttered.

He looked at her with a wounded expression. "Will you tell me what's going on? It seems like you might be going through another episode, and –"

"How the hell would you know?" she snapped. "You don't pay attention enough to know what a depressive episode looks like for me."

Derek placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to be a comfort to her. He failed miserably, at least according to Idina. She stood up abruptly. "Baby," he tried.

"Leave me alone, Dad!" she muttered, hurrying out of the room with her book clutched tightly to her chest.

Derek's spirit completely deflated. He rubbed his face tiredly, lamenting how his relationship with his daughter was strained, he never got to see his son, and the closest he would ever get to be with Penelope anymore were the times they were unable to control their primal sexual desire for one another.

"Dad?"

Fox's voice broke Derek out of his internal disappointment with himself. Looking at his son who had come to plop himself down next to him, he patted Fox on the back.

"What's up, bud?" he asked.

"Why doesn't Dee want to talk to you ever?" Fox asked, curious.

 _Because I'm not a good father_ , Derek thought.

Instead, he hid his thoughts and lied. "Not sure," he said with a soft voice. "It'll be okay, though."

Problem was, he was unsure of how things would actually be okay.


	2. Missed Opportunities

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone! I really appreciate you taking the time to do it. You all keep me typing :) There's a lot more family tension in store for us, so I hope you'll enjoy it.**

Penelope sat beside Grant in the auditorium of her daughter's high school. Idina, for all her introverted qualities, loved to act, and this year she was in a lead role in the play.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked.

Looking up, Penelope saw a woman with two children pointing to the seat on her right. Her coat was draped over the seat. She cleared her throat before answering.

"Yeah," she said. "He's on his way. Sorry."

The other woman walked away, disappointed. Grant looked at Penelope out of the corner of his eye, skeptical.

"You're sure about that?" he asked, glancing at his watch.

Penelope swallowed hard, keeping her eyes trained ahead at the curtain. She and Derek had spoken today before she had left work. He knew Idina's play was tonight, and he told Penelope he would be there in the front row when the curtain opened.

But the performance started in five minutes, and so far Derek was nowhere to be found.

Pulling out her phone, she bit her lip. She knew Derek longed to be a part of his children's lives, and he was trying his hardest to do it. He'd even passed the job of unit chief over to JJ so he could still see them. But it was still harder for him to get the time to be with them.

Derek had aged to look at least five years older than he actually was since the divorce. He hadn't lost any of his handsomeness, but he looked tired consistently. She saw it everyday, even when they had sex. She remembered back to just this past case she had accompanied the BAU. Her nerves tingled at the memory of being in bed with him.

 _"Why do you look so tired all the time?" she asked, collapsing at his side. He looked exhausted, and it wasn't from making her come three times that night alone. It was the perpetual exhaustion that was barely veiled behind his eyes every day._

 _Her sweaty ex husband snorted without looking over at her. "Why do you always cheat on your boyfriend with_ me _?"_

 _Penelope asked herself that question frequently, and she always failed to come up with an answer for it. She had great affection for Grant. When she wasn't too tired from work or sweaty, ferocious sex with Derek in the oddest secret places, she almost enjoyed sleeping with him. He treated her children kindly – he even made attempts with Idina, who never gave anyone but her little brother the time of day – and gave her space when she needed it._

 _Somehow, that wasn't enough. Even though she had convinced herself she didn't need Derek anymore, there was always going to be a part of her that loved him. Eventually she gave up fighting her body's desires._

 _She needed Derek in a way Grant could never fulfill her._

" _Fair enough," she murmured. She lay beside him without saying anything. Her mind started to wander to the boyfriend who was at home watching her and Derek's children. She never imagined she would cheat on anyone, but with Derek she found herself unable to help it._

 _Sometimes biology beat out morals._

A hand covering hers drew her out of her memories of Derek's skin against hers. Penelope looked beside her at Grant. She gave him a nervous smile.

"Honey? You gonna check that text?" he asked, nodding to her phone on her lap.

Penelope arched a brow before looking down at her phone. She'd been so consumed in her thoughts that she had missed the vibrations on her lap. Looking down, she turned her phone's screen on and saw one text from Derek.

 _On my way. Director wouldn't let me out of a meeting._

She could have jumped with happiness. Derek would be here and Idina would know her father cared. Looking at Grant, she smiled again. "He's on his way," she murmured. "Dee will get to see her Dad here."

Grant cleared his throat at the mention of Derek, but luckily the lights dimmed in the auditorium, saving her from having to say anymore on the subject.

XXXXX

Derek breathed heavily as he slammed his car door shut and dashed into his daughter's high school auditorium. In his arms he carried a bouquet of lilies, Idina's favorite flower. Penelope also loved them. A pileup of cars on the freeway had slowed traffic down to the point he had been in a standstill at least four times. He was at least an hour late for Idina's performance, and by now, intermission would be in swing.

He entered the building, nearly ripping the door off its hinges. Up ahead he caught sight of Penelope's blonde hair as she stood with others who were taking advantage of the intermission to look at their phones.

"Penelope!" he called, jogging up to her.

She looked up in his direction from her cellphone, shoving her phone back in her purse. "There you are!" she cried, walking toward him. She looked as if she were ready to yell at him, but when she saw the flowers in his arms, her eyes softened. Stopping in front of him, she sighed. "What happened? You said you were on your way when the play started."

"A huge pile up on the highway," he said, keeping his eyes off of hers. He knew it was ridiculous to be avoiding her, but after hearing her talk to JJ about how Grant was planning a trip to Europe for the two of them, he didn't think he could handle looking her in the eye. "How's the play going? How is Dee doing in it?"

Penelope sighed. "She's doing well," she said. She gave him a tired smile. "She'll love the flowers."

Derek finally met her eyes and saw the sincerity in them. In that moment he forgot about his irritation with her for going away to Europe. She seemed genuinely proud of him for bringing the flowers.

Clearing his throat, he nodded. "Yeah, well, I wanted to do something special for her. I asked Callahan to pick them up for me and give me them to me before I left the office."

She reached out and rubbed his shoulder. "Let's get in there and see Idina's play."

XXXXX

"You did a great job tonight, Baby Doll," Derek said as he drove Idina home after her play wrapped up. They were almost home, and Penelope had insisted Idina drive home with Derek. The whole way there, though, Idina for the most part ignored him. The flowers he brought her lay upon her lap, but she had accepted them begrudgingly.

Idina shrugged. "I guess," she muttered.

A pain struck Derek's heart at his daughter's disinterest in him. "I was really proud of you, you know. You think you might want to be an actress someday after that? I know you really love it, and if people saw you in this you'd get any role you wanted."

"Yeah, 'cause they would have seen the whole play and would know how my performance was," she grumbled.

Derek flipped on his blinker to pull into Penelope's house. Idina's words stung, but there was no way he could deny the truth in her words. He had arrived late, and he was ashamed of himself. When he stopped the car, he rubbed his forehead.

"Idina, I really am sorry for –"

She huffed, swinging the door of the SUV open and getting out. He flinched when she slammed the door.

Getting out of the car, he tried to follow after her. He ignored Grant and Penelope as he tried to stop Idina from running off. His ex-wife frowned as their daughter stormed past her.

"Dee?" she asked.

Derek moved around Penelope to try and stop Idina before she strode inside the house. "Baby," he pleaded. "Please, I'm really sorry I missed the first half of the play. It was a traffic jam on the highway. I promise I would have been there –"

" _Don't!"_ Idina whirled around to face him. Her knuckles were white as she clutched the stems of her flowers. Pure fury was splattered across her face. "Don't try and tell me you're sorry! You always miss things that are important to me because of your stupid job. You don't care about me at all!"

"Idina!" Penelope cried, going to stand beside Derek. "Don't –"

Idina's ire transferred to her mother. "Stop standing up for him! You always take his side, even when he forgets I exist!"

With a look that Derek swore looked like hatred, Idina threw the flowers he had bought for her at his chest before slamming the garage door to the house in his face.

Derek stared at the now closed door, stricken with sadness. His daughter hadn't said anything about hating him, but the look on her face said that she did. And that hurt him more than any pain he could possibly imagine.

"I'm, uh, going to go inside," Grant said, his voice breaking through the deafening silence. He walked past Derek and Penelope, pausing to plant a kiss on Penelope's cheek before heading inside.

"Derek?" Penelope murmured.

He ran his hand over his smooth head, unsure of what to say. His mouth was dry as he stared at the ground where the lilies lay in a heap. "What?" he asked hoarsely.

Her soft hand grasped his and gave it a squeeze. He looked up at her finally, and saw the sympathy – almost pity – in her eyes. Swallowing hard, he nodded. "She loves you, more than she probably knows," Penelope tried to reassure him. "I know she does."

Even though he was similar to his daughter and he was a profiler, Derek couldn't read his daughter at all. He didn't see what Penelope saw at all. All he saw when he looked at Idina's face was hatred.

"Are you even listening to me?" Penelope tried again.

Derek nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'm just…I just wish I knew what to do so we could be how we used to be."

"Be patient with her," Penelope said. "Don't let her get away because you could lose her forever if you do."

"I know…I'm doing whatever I can to make her see that my job isn't the most important thing. Her and Fox are." Rubbing his eyes, he jerked his thumb in the direction of his car. "I'm going home. I think we have a case tomorrow."

Penelope nodded. "We do," she said softly.

Releasing his limp hand from her grasp, he walked away without another word, the weight of the loss of his family crushing his heart to dust.


	3. Breakdowns

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Thanks so much to everyone has reviewed this story. You all keep me typing :) Thanks to Tudee and any other guest reviewers for taking time to leave a review as well. I wish I could message you all with my thanks!**

 **Another note: Thank you to PolHop for walking through the chapter on this one. You rock, bro!**

Idina sat in the living room, staring outside at the beginning of the late September evening with a blank expression. Penelope watched her daughter from the kitchen archway, a sadness setting over her heart. She wanted to pick up all the weight that bore down on her daughter's shoulders, but no matter how much she tried to help her baby girl, she was brushed off.

After the previous night when she had thrown her lilies at Derek, Idina had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. No matter how much Penelope knocked on the door, she wouldn't leave. Even Fox, who Idina never ignored, tried to get her to come out; but it was to no avail.

"Dee?" she murmured, moving toward her daughter. In both her hands she held mugs of cocoa. Idina's contained Lucky Charms marshmallows on top, her favorite. Penelope walked into the living room and sat down beside her. She attempted a smile and held out the mug of hot chocolate. Idina ignored it.

Sighing, Penelope set it on the coffee table in defeat. Idina continued to stare out the window, her eyes glazed over with exhaustion. She was going through a serious depressive episode right now, and it broke Penelope's heart. Reaching over, she moved a lock of her daughter's soft hair from her face.

"What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours?" Penelope asked, not realizing she used a phrase Derek used to ask her frequently. She waited expectantly for an answer, but Idina continued to ignore her. Tears started to burn behind Penelope's eyes, and she took Idina's hand. "Sweetheart…please talk to me." She was willing to beg at this point. "I know you're hurting about your dad missing the fist half of your play, but you need to know he is beating himself up for that."

The mention of her father made Idina look at Penelope finally. "Why do you always defend him?" she demanded.

 _Why indeed_ , Penelope said silently in her head.

"I don't," she insisted. "But I do know how much he loves you and your brother. You're the most important people in the world to him." That was the truth about Derek; she knew for a fact Derek would die for his children without hesitation. "Don't you ever doubt that."

"He has a funny way of showing it," Idina snapped. "You're one of the most important people to him and just look at what he did to you." She saw the look on her mother's face and rolled her eyes. "I'm depressed, Mom, not blind. I see the way he looks at you."

 _She really is her father's daughter_ , Penelope thought.

However, despite that, she knew her daughter was not seeing things right.

"I just…I just wish he would _try_ to spend some time with me," Idina admitted, finally opening up. "Grant makes time to spend with me, but I don't _want_ to spend time with Grant. I don't like him that much. He's not my dad."

That revelation didn't surprise Penelope, nor did it bother her much. Idina didn't like many people, and Penelope was ecstatic over the fact her daughter was finally talking to her, even if it was to say she hated her boyfriend.

Leaning forward, Penelope wrapped her arms around Idina. She held her tightly. "Your father loves you more than anything in this world, you and your brother. You _have_ to give him a break. You cannot blame him for all of this because _I_ left him. That was my decision. I know it's hard, but he would let the world fall down around him before letting anything happen to you."

"No," Idina said stubbornly. "His job is. His job will always come first."

Somehow those words broke Penelope's heart more than anything else had in a long time. She was glad to have Idina's hair in the way of her neck because her tears would have wet her skin otherwise.

XXXXX

"Agent Morgan?"

Derek looked up from the round table where he was waiting on the rest of his team to begin the morning briefing. Standing in the doorway was one of their new special agents fresh from the academy, Hailee Jackson. She was also in Derek's self-defense class he taught, and he knew without a doubt she was after him. He didn't want her anywhere near him; she was only ten years older than his daughter, for Christ's sake.

She batted her eyelashes and grinned at him. Sauntering over to him, she placed her hand on her hip. "I was wondering if you wanted to come out for lunch with me after your briefing is done?" she said.

Leaning back in his chair, he shook his head. "Sorry, Agent Jackson," he said. "I'm going to lunch with my daughter today."

It had been two weeks since missing Idina's play, and he was searching for a way to make it up to her. After awhile he convinced her to skip school to come with him to lunch.

Agent Jackson looked disappointed. "Aww, well some other time then," she said.

"Agent Jackson, could you please give us the room," JJ said, entering the room with the rest of their team following behind her. Kate Callahan, Penelope, and their replacements for Hotch and Rossi after they retired, Agent Jake Hanson and Nathan Umber, all came in. Hanson and Umber were lesser replacements for Reid. However, Reid decided to take a different path and was teaching in China.

Turning around abruptly, Agent Jackson blushed. She nodded swiftly and dashed out of the room as fast as her four-inch heels would allow her. Callahan rolled her eyes at the back of the retreating agent.

"Gettin' hit on again, Morgan?" Hanson asked with a laugh.

Derek took a sip of his coffee and stared evenly back at his coworker. He thought about making a snappy retort, but instead turned to look at JJ. "What do we have on the docket today?" he asked.

"Nothing major requiring us to leave the state on a case," Penelope said, striding to the front of the room with her remote. "We just need to get through these consults." She shot a look at Derek, and he could see she was going to try and get him out in time for his lunch with Idina. He nodded his appreciation ever so slightly.

He needed this. He needed to make things up to his daughter.

XXXXX

"Where is he?"

Penelope's heart sank as she saw her daughter step off the elevator at the BAU. Idina looked furious, angrier than Penelope had ever seen her. She walked toward Idina. "Honey, he was just on his way out the door," she pleaded. "He was –"

"He's an hour late!" Idina hissed, stopping in front of her mother. "I skipped school for him, and yet again he's late!"

Just as Idina readied herself to spew more venom at Penelope, Derek came hurrying down the hallway. He shoved his sleeves into his jacket, and worry covered his face.

"Baby, I'm so sorry!" he apologized. "I was on my way out the door, and then the Director called."

"So you forgot about me," Idina concluded. "How typical of you."

Derek shook his head. "No, Dee," he pleaded. "That's not what happened at all. I just couldn't hang up on him."

Penelope's heart broke as she watched the scene before her. All around them were other agents, stopping to stare at Idina as her fury boiled over to the surface. She shook her head, going over to Idina to try and calm her. She placed her hand on her shoulder, only to be shaken off.

"Don't defend him, Mom!" she hollered, her voice going from a soft hiss to a yell in a matter of seconds. "He deserves it! He abandoned us, all because of this stupid job. He cares more about catching psychopaths than he does about his family!" She shook Penelope's hand away from her.

Derek looked heartbroken at Idina's words. His voice came out strained. "Idina, I'm trying –"

"Not fucking hard enough!" she screamed, shoving her finger into his chest. He reacted like her touch burned him. "I hate you! I'm _done_ with your shitty attempts at being a dad!"

"Idina, that's enough!" Penelope cut in, holding up her hand to stop her daughter from going any further.

Idina's venomous look transferred to Penelope. She shook her head. "He's enough," she said, turning on her heel and stalking back into the elevator as the doors opened when other agents were getting out.

Derek watched as Idina disappeared behind the closing doors. Devastation spread over his face, and he completely ignore the looks of their colleagues as they stared at him. Penelope's mouth was agape at the outburst Idina just displayed. It was nothing she had ever seen before.

Turning to Derek, she rested her hand on his arm. "Derek, she didn't mean it," she murmured. "You know she didn't. It's the depression, you know it is. The psychiatrist will talk to her, and she –"

Without a word, Derek shook his head and walked away. He had a blank expression on his face. Pushing through the people who had circled around them to observe their family turmoil, he made his way into his office and shut the door behind him.

The whole way there, he never spoke a word.

Penelope's eyes scanned the crowd and she glared at them. Without a word of her own, she left the circle to make her way to the stairs. She needed to catch up to her daughter before she did something to hurt herself, which was, in this state she was in right now, a possibility.

She dashed down the seven flights of stairs to the parking garage. Up ahead, she saw Idina getting ready to get in her car.

"Idina!" Penelope cried, her heels clicking behind her as she dashed after her daughter. "Idina, stop!" She increased her speed as it became clear Idina wouldn't quit. Frustrated, Penelope raised her voice even louder. "Idina Delta Morgan, you stop right now!"

At the sound of her full name, Idina whirled around to face Penelope. "What?" she snapped. "What do you want, Mom?"

Penelope skidded to a halt in front of Idina. Now she was beginning to get angry. Her daughter's look of hatred she had thrown at Derek was now on Penelope.

"I want you to go back upstairs and apologize to your father," she answered. "What you just said to him was –"

"Was true!" Idina shouted, stepping forward to point at Penelope. "He forgot about me! He doesn't care enough to keep a promise to me."

Penelope's heart broke. "Sweetheart, he never forgot about you," she murmured, going forward to cup Idina's cheek. "He was getting ready to go, I saw him. He just –"

"He forgot me!" Idina hissed. "He cares more about dead people than he does about me or Fox or you." She shook her head, and it was then that Penelope saw tears floating on the surface of her eyes. Idina's lower lip trembled, and Penelope wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her close even as Idina struggled to be released.

"Idina," she said.

"Let me go, Mom!" she cried, trying to push Penelope away. "Don't cover for him wh –when he doesn't care…" Her voice broke, and an onslaught of tears came pouring from her eyes. She buried her face against Penelope's shoulder, hoarse sobs escaping her throat.

Penelope held Idina tightly, even as her daughter's legs began to buckle beneath her. Kissing the side of her head, she leaned against Idina's car to hold them both up. The left side of her chest began to ache, as she thought of her daughter hurting in her arms and Derek hurting in his office several floors above them.

XXXXX

Derek sat on his living room couch, a glass of whiskey in his grasp. He stared out the window of his apartment at the darkened city street. Idina's words ran through his head. It was worse than he ever expected: his daughter hated him, despised him with every inch of her body.

After the incident where Idina had screamed at him in the BAU, Penelope called him to tell him she was taking the rest of the day off to be with Idina. He remembered the words she spoke to him over the phone as she told him what happened.

" _She's not doing well," Penelope murmured, her voice crackling over the line. "I've never seen her like this."_

 _Derek swallowed hard, thinking how he had been the cause of Idina's pain today. It felt as if his whole body was caving in on him, leaving him no room to breathe as he struggled to figure out how to help his daughter._

" _Can I come see her?" he asked, praying Penelope would allow him to come to her house and see Idina._

 _Penelope paused. "I want you to," she whispered, "but I don't know if she can handle it. She wouldn't let anyone in, not even Fox. I went in to check on her, but she was sound asleep. I'm taking her out of school for the week. She…I don't even know." She sniffled._

" _What?" he asked._

 _She took a deep breath, but couldn't stop the tears from coming. "I don't know what to do, Derek," she wept. "We've tried everything to help her, and nothing is working."_

As Derek sat in his living room now, he knew there was something he could do to help Idina. He could disappear. He could lessen her pain by getting out of her way. The look on her face as she told him she hated him proved what he needed to do. The Director's phone call today had given him a way to help his family.

Fox wouldn't have to be confused about weekends when Derek couldn't spend time with him.

Penelope would no longer be tempted by their sexual attraction.

Idina could get better.

With a heavy sigh, Derek picked up his cellphone and made a call to the Director.

"Hello?" the Director asked when he answered his phone.

He cleared his throat before answering. "Director," he began. "It's Morgan. I wanted to know if the option to take that undercover assignment with the Fuentes cartel was still available."


	4. Saying Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! We're getting closer and closer to the action that this story will have. This is another tense family chapter, so hang in there with me for a little bit longer. Thanks again, and leave a review if you want to :)**

Derek pulled up to his former home, swallowing hard as he tried to come up with the words he was going to need to say. He's not even called ahead to tell Penelope he was coming over. He probably should have since Grant's car was parked in the driveway. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with him around, but now he was going to have to make do.

He got out of the car, each step feeling like he was stepping through wet cement. Every bone in his body screamed for him to not do this, but his mind told him he needed to do this in order for his family to get better and find their way without him.

Knocking on the door, he waited for someone to answer the door. Grant opened it, his brow furrowing in annoyance at Derek being on the porch.

"Derek," he said with a curt nod.

Clearing his throat, Derek raised a hand in greeting. "Grant, can I come in?"

"We were just getting –"

"Honey, who is it at the door?" Penelope's voice came from behind Grant. She came into view, her hand sliding up Grant's shoulder. Her eyes found Derek and they widened. "Derek? Wh – what are you doing here?"

Derek stared at her for a moment, observing every feature of her face because he knew it might be the last time in a very long time he would see her. He rubbed the back of his neck, still trying to figure out what he was going to say to her. Looking into her expectant eyes, he murmured, "I need to talk to you. It's important."

She furrowed her brow. "Umm, sure," she said, nudging Grant out of the way for Derek to come inside. Grant didn't look pleased, but he moved anyway. "Do you wanna talk in the office?"

"Yes," he said. "It's…important." It was so important he didn't know if he would be able to verbalize it correctly.

"Grant, I'll be right back," Penelope said, looking around Derek at her boyfriend before opening the door to her office, the office they used to share. She closed the door behind them, looking up into his eyes. "What's wrong?" He didn't say anything, so she went on. Her face softened, and she went forward to take his hand. The gesture shocked him, keeping him silent. "Derek, I know you're having a hard time after what Idina said, but she's been locked in her room this whole time. She's just been sleeping. Whatever happened at the BAU the other day, it took a lot out of her."

He remained silent, his face stony as he thought about his daughter. Numbness filled his limbs, and he stood there dumbly. He still couldn't find the words.

Penelope sighed. "Derek, you're really worrying me," she said. She lifted her hand to touch his chin, but he caught her before she could touch him. "What is it?"

His eyes glanced over at his hand grasping hers, and his gut churned. Could he really do this? Could he leave his children? Could he leave her? The idea of it, the idea of possibly never coming back to them, scared him to death. But this was the only way for them to get over him and live a normal life without him fucking it up.

"I'm going undercover," he blurted out, unable to keep the words in any longer.

" _What_?" she gasped. She let go of him, taking a step back. "You're leaving?"

He rubbed his forehead, unable to look at the devastation on her face. "The Director called me to ask me to go undercover with Diablo Fuentes' cartel. They're –"

"I know who they are!" Penelope hissed. "Derek, how can you do that? They kill people if they get even a little pissed off at them! Diablo Fuentes, he'll kill you if he finds out who you are. They killed two agents who were undercover before, and they were supposedly doing well! What makes you think they wouldn't kill you?" She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes growing wet. Her limbs started to shake as she began to look scared. "How could you do this?"

He was shocked she seemed so upset. He expected more surprise than anything else. But instead, she stood in front of him with what looked like heartbreak. Shaking his head, he coughed.

"It's what's best," he said, wondering how he could sound so confident about what he was saying. "Fox won't have to be confused, Idina can get better…you don't have to worry about me distracting you from your boyfriend." He lowered his voice for his last comment, just in case Grant was lurking on the other side of the door. There was no way he wanted to screw up something in her life the way he had screwed up their marriage.

She pushed her glasses up onto her forehead so she could rub her eyes. "You think you'll rebuild your relationship with our children by _leaving_ them?" she spat. "How can you be so stupid? You – you can't possibly think this is what is going to be best for them!"

"I came to say goodbye to the kids," he said. "I leave in a two days for New York."

Her mouth dropped, and she looked like she was about to choke. "You're leaving in two days?" she managed.

He nodded. "Two days," he confirmed. "Are they in their rooms?"

Penelope didn't say anything as she sank onto the office couch. He sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get an answer. He walked back toward the door, readying himself for what he was going to say to his children. Fox's door came first, and Derek knew it would be better to start with his son.

Knocking softly on the door, Derek opened it to find Fox sitting at his desk as he played a computer game. His headphones kept him from hearing Derek entering.

"Hey, bud," Derek said, clapping his son on the back.

Fox snapped around, excitement lighting up on his face. "Dad!" he exclaimed, throwing his headphones off so he could hug Derek.

Ruffling his son's hair, he grinned down at him. Derek had no idea how he could hide his emotion right now, but he was managing to stay together somehow. "How ya doin'?"

"I'm just playing a game," he said. "What are you doing here, though? It's Mom's weekend this week."

Sighing, Derek said, "Well, I'm here to talk to you about something. Something important." He perched on the edge of his son's unmade bed and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'm going on an assignment for a little while. An assignment where I won't be able to see you or your sister."

Fox's face fell, as did his shoulders. He slumped into his chair, looking downtrodden at his father's announcement. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "You mean you're going undercover?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'm going undercover."

"How long will you be gone?"

The look on Fox's face when Derek didn't answer right away almost broke his heart. He swallowed hard, but held his resolve. His family might not know it, but this was what they needed.

"I don't know how long I'll be gone," he admitted. "But the guy I'm going after is a bad one, and I'm gonna catch him. Soon as I do, I can come home to you and your sister."

"Why do you have to go?" Fox asked. He wasn't crying, but he did look sad.

Derek nodded, not saying a word. Holding up his fist, he waited for Fox to bump it with his own. Fox did it, but he didn't look the slightest bit enthusiastic. Opening his arms, Derek hugged his son tightly, knowing it would be the last time in a long while he could do this.

"I've got to go to stop the bad guy," he lied, knowing he wouldn't be able to tell the truth that it was to save them from him.

"Okay, Dad," Fox said sullenly. "I believe you. Just come home soon, okay?"

"You got it, Champ."

When Derek left his son's room, he knew it would be harder to visit Idina. He knocked softly on her door, but got no response. That didn't surprise him much, since Penelope had told him she wasn't answering the door for anyone. To his shock, the door was unlocked. He stepped inside the darkened room, the only light a dim set of blue Christmas lights she kept up year round.

Idina lay on her bed, her eyes glazed over as she stared into space. Derek's heart hurt once again, as if it were being stung by bees and injected with venom. He went and sat down in her desk chair, facing her.

"Dee?" he murmured.

He received no response.

"Idina, I came to talk to you about something," he said. "I'm…I'm going to go…" He shook his head, rubbing his raw eyes. "God, I don't even know how to say this. I'm going undercover. I'm going away for a little while."

Still, Idina remained quiet.

"I know you're not happy with me," he whispered. "I know I've let you down. I wish I could be a better dad for you, the dad you want. I hope when I come back I can be that dad you want." He took a deep breath. He gazed at Idina's blank stare, hoping for some reaction, but nothing sparked on her face. His throat grew tight. "Baby, please don't say goodbye like this."

 _I may not come back, and I don't want this to be the last time we see each other,_ he said to himself.

Instead of saying anything, Idina turned over on her other side and ignored him. Derek's heart sank as he stared at her back. His thoughts raced as he tried to think of ways to tell her this would be the last time in awhile he would get to see her.

Dejected, Derek rose to his feet and went to Idina's side. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, still not getting a reaction from her. "I love you, Dee," he murmured, before turning and leaving the room.

After closing the door to Idina's room, Derek sucked in a deep breath. He felt like the wind got knocked out of him. Rubbing his forehead, he forced himself to head for the door. He couldn't stay another minute, otherwise he would be unable to stick to his decision.

Trudging toward the door through the foyer, he caught sight of Penelope talking with Grant in the living room. He could see her eyes were red, even from across the room, and she grasped her glasses shaking hands. For a moment, he paused to take in her expression. Grant tried to calm her down, but nothing was working. She stared at Derek, fury blazing behind her eyes. He couldn't stand to see her distraught face, not after seeing Fox's disappointment and Idina's indifference.

It tore at him too much, a reminder of everything he'd failed her in.

He tore his eyes from hers and went out the door. Pain shot through every nerve in his body. Every limb felt like molten lead was weighing them down. He didn't make it far before he heard her shouting his name.

"Derek! Derek Morgan, you get back here!"

He had reached his car when she began to yell at him. Turning, he saw Penelope storming after him. He had never seen her look angrier in the entire time he had known her. She dashed toward him, her face stained with tears and her fists clenched.

"Penelope –" he said, holding his hands up.

"Don't say a word!" she shouted. The cool night air blew her hair into her face, sticking to her wet cheeks. Angrily, she brushed it aside. "How _dare_ you do this to our kids! What the hell makes you think you leaving them will make anything better?"

He was taken aback by her anger. For some reason he pictured her being relieved that he was leaving. He'd been nothing but a nuisance in her life or in their children's lives since their divorce…or so he thought up until he saw how she was reacting right now.

Derek tried to speak, but she cut him off before he could. "It's reckless bullshit like this that made me leave you!" she cried. "It had nothing to do with me not loving you anymore! You're the love of my life. It had everything to do with you putting your job and ambition before the kids, and certainly before me. Going undercover is the most reckless thing you've _ever_ suggested doing!"

"None of you need me!" Derek shot back. "I've done everything I could to show the kids I want to be the best dad I can be after the divorce, but nothing has convinced them, at least not Idina. I gave up being unit chief and it still hasn't been the right thing to do. I'm done being in the way of your lives! I'm done with hurting you all."

He had no idea where this show of emotion had come from. He knew he had been drowning in what his life had become, but only now he was experiencing the rush of anger he must have been repressing.

Penelope shook her head and gave him a bitter glare. "You're a selfish ass," she growled. "The way you're willing to abandon them disgusts me."

"There are things about you that are disgusting to me, too," he snarled back. He wanted his words to wound, and by the look on her face he could tell he'd succeeded.

It was what they were good at now: hurting one another.

She stared at him with fury and pointed at his car. "Go then," she hissed. "Abandon them and prove that you're as horrible as Idina thinks you are!"

Without a word, she turned and stalked back inside her house, leaving Derek in her wake, still fuming.


	5. Touch

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Penelope knocked on Derek's apartment door with shaking hands. She asked Grant to stay with her children while she left the house for a few hours. She hadn't told her boyfriend where she was going, but the look he'd given her before she left told her he knew.

The words she and Derek had thrown at one another the night before rang in her ears, bouncing off the walls of her skull. She never wanted to hurt him – never in a million years would she want to hurt Derek – but last night her fury had taken over.

Now, she needed to apologize. The vitriol they thrown at one another still stung, and she hoped she could remedy it.

Mostly she was here to try and get him to stay.

She waited patiently for him to open the door. When he did, they stared at one another. He didn't blink, nor did she.

Finally, he swallowed hard. "What do you want?"

"Can I come in?" she asked. "Please."

He remained silent.

"I'm here to apologize to you," she managed. "Please let me."

Derek didn't look like he would let her in. Fire blazed in his onyx eyes, but his face remained stony. Anger was all she saw when she looked at him.

Instead of speaking, though, he moved aside and allowed her inside. She stepped in, taking a look around. She expected to see boxes of his things ready to be sent to storage, but instead everything remained where it was.

"Are you not ready sending things to storage?" she asked.

"Why are you here?" he asked, ignoring her question. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you here to bitch at me some more?"

She narrowed her eyes. "No. I'm not."

Chuckling bitterly, he rolled his eyes. "What is it then?"

She whirled to face him. "Don't," she said. "Don't do this right now. I'm not here to argue with you. I'm here to ask you to not do this." Her voice softened. "Don't leave us."

"I'm not needed," he said. "No one wants me here. You know that, and I know that. Idina for _sure_ knows that."

Penelope swallowed hard, trying to figure out how to say this without breaking down. "Derek, you _are_ needed. You're wanted here. Please don't leave. Idina and Fox need you. They need their dad."

"They need a break from their dad," Derek said. "I know I'm not the best father, and I know they need someone better than me. I'm hoping if I go away for a while I can be a better dad. The one they deserve. They need someone like Grant, who can be there and spend time with them."

Striding across the living room, Penelope grasped his hands tightly. She could plainly see shame on his face, and she couldn't stand it. "You _are_ the dad they deserve. And even if you don't think you are, leaving them for going undercover is insane! Don't do this."

"I told you last night," he said, "that I'm just in the way. I'm in the way of my kids' lives, and I'm done with that."

Tears filled her eyes. "I'm begging you," she murmured, raising her hand to his cheek. "Please don't go." The tears started trickling down her cheeks. She held him tightly, never wanting to let him go.

In that moment, as they stared at one another in the dead silence of his apartment, she knew attempts to feign indifference toward him were futile. She still felt for him what she had always felt for him. She knew she couldn't hide that she missed him. The last three years she'd tried to bury those feelings, but right now they refused to stay concealed. Only the possibility of losing him could unearth them again.

"Don't," he said, pushing her hands away. He shook his head, clearing his throat as if trying to push away his desire. "Don't do this now."

Penelope refused to give up. As he tried to turn away, she moved to stand in front of him. She used both hands to cup his face. Shaking her head, she said, "No. No, I won't stop this. Don't leave our kids. Don't leave _me_."

Without another word, she pulled his face down and kissed him. Her lips coaxed his open with as much tenderness as she could muster. She knew she could get him to react. Within moments, he kissed her back with just as much tenderness.

Soon enough, though, their kisses turned rough. His hands grabbed her hips, pulling her into him so she felt his erection pressing against her side. She snaked her arms around his neck, letting him pull her upwards so she had to warp her legs around his waist. He carried her toward his bedroom, kissing her the whole time.

Laying her gently on the simple sheets, he pulled his shirt off. She leaned up to run her hands over his bare skin, relishing the feel of him beneath her fingertips. Frantically, she reached for his neck, wanting him to engulf her so all she knew was him and his taste. Her heart beat at a frantic pace as she reached for him again.

Derek leaned down and gently cupped her face, kissing her once again so she lost all ability to think. His hands trailed down her sides, fingering the bottom of her shirt. Lifting it up, he tossed the shirt across the room. Shivers ran up and down her spine. The fiery kisses they had traded back and forth in the living room disappeared and gave way to sweetness. His lips seduced her, keeping her under a spell she never wanted to be released from.

They fell backward onto the sheets, kissing the whole way down. He pulled away, resulting in a frustrated moan from Penelope. She wanted his lips against hers, keeping her warm and desirable.

"Come back," she murmured, holding her arm out to him.

Derek shook his head, not saying a word as he pulled her jeans off. Running his hand up her bare thigh, he kept his eyes on hers. She couldn't stand how slow he was massaging her thighs. Unable to take how slow he was going, she reached up and fiddled with his belt buckle. Leaning up, Penelope wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down with her.

They rolled over in the sheets, tearing at each other's clothes until both of them lay naked. Derek suckled at her neck, fingering her soaking core. He played her like an orchestra, knowing exactly what note he needed to hit. Something Penelope always loved about being with Derek was how he made love like a drowning man searching for air. He wanted her with every inch of his being, and she could tell by the way he held her in his arms.

No one had ever made her feel so cherished.

"Penelope," he growled in her ear, holding her close. The pure hunger in his voice and the hardness of his erection pressing against her thigh sent tingles down her spine. She arched her spine, wanting him to consume her completely.

Something about this moment felt so different from any of the other times they had slept with one another ever. An intensity lurked beneath their touches, igniting sparks in their skins. Penelope gasped as he stroked her just right, sending electricity through her skin.

They spent time just wrapped in one another's arms, kissing and touching until the only sound in the room was the sound of their heavy breathing. Sweat pooled between their bodies until their skin couldn't touch without sliding.

Then, without a word, Derek slid into her, joining them in such intimate contact it felt as if they had never been apart. She gasped and allowed herself the freedom to get lost in his touch.

XXXXX

Time crawled toward the early hours of the morning. Derek stared at the ceiling of his apartment, his heart beating steadily. Glancing down at his chest, he observed Penelope's rumpled honey blonde hair as she lay snuggled against him. Since her arrival and their lovemaking the night before, she had fallen asleep with her head on his chest. Her arm lay wrapped around his waist as she slumbered on.

He played with the tips of her blonde hair, savoring the feeling of holding her soft body in his arms. She was warm, her whole body a radiator of sweet vanilla heat. Unconsciously, he tightened his arms around her, knowing within a few moments he would be forced to release her.

Derek was no fool. He knew there was only one reason Penelope had come over and that was to try and keep their children from losing him. Her pleas, while sounding genuine, didn't convince him. She had come here solely to make sure he wouldn't leave for the sake of their children. Sleeping with him was her way of trying to keep him there.

It almost worked.

But even though he wanted to stay, he knew he couldn't get in the way of his families lives. He'd failed them in everyway possible, and he was done with it. They needed him to be gone for a while before he reentered their lives.

Gently, Derek removed Penelope's arm from his waist. She barely stirred. Sighing, he slid out of bed, thanking whatever higher power there was Penelope was a heavy sleeper. Crossing the room, he dressed as swiftly as he could. He needed to get to the BAU to get his things before heading to New York to begin his assignment.

Once clothed, he looked across the dim room, the streetlights outside coming in through the windows so he could see the outline of Penelope's face. With another deep sigh, he returned to his bed and sat on the edge of it. He stared at her still form, relishing in her beauty for just a few sweet moments before he had to leave.

Their life together when their family had been whole flashed before his eyes as he stared at her. He missed them terribly, but he knew he would never have it back. None of them really wanted him anyway.

 _Maybe it would be better if I never came back from this assignment…_

Leaning over to her, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Then he rose from the bed and left the apartment as soundless as a flutter of wind.

XXXXX

Penelope woke at six o'clock in the morning sharp to a cold bed. She looked around and reached for her glasses on the bedside table. Once she could see, she shook her head. She had never spent the night with Derek like this, and she knew it would be hard to explain to Grant why she had been gone all night.

However, as realization dawned on her about why she was here, a cold sense of dread filled her gut. She didn't want to believe it, but she was alone now. The apartment was empty save for her. Derek had left for his undercover assignment, even after the passionate night they had spent together. He hadn't listened to her pleas to stay for their children or for her.

She knew she shouldn't have, but Penelope couldn't stop herself from putting her head in her hands and weeping uncontrollably.


	6. The Importance of Family

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Here's the next chapter! Sorry my posting has been so inconsistent. My semester ended, but I've been spending time with my family. I'm going to work hard to get chapters out more often, though! Thanks so much for the reviews, and I hope you'll enjoy this one.**

 **Caution: This chapter contains some difficult content.**

 _Six Months Later_

Penelope halted outside of the door of the round table room's back entrance, punching a few things in on her tablet before the morning briefing. As she prepped herself for the meeting, she heard the sound of Agents Hanson and Umber. They were poor substitutes for Hotch and Rossi after they retired, but they needed them and they were better than no one.

"I'm telling you," Hanson said, "I'm fine with him being gone. I mean, it sucks to be down a man, but Morgan was a mopey bastard. He had women falling all over him who had to have been at least ten years younger than him, and he didn't even give any of them the time of day."

Umber chuckled. "We all know _why_ he turned them down," he said. "It was all about the ex-wife for him."

"I've got no idea how Garcia has a boyfriend with the amount of _quality_ time she spends with Morgan," Hanson threw in, his voice shaking with barely contained laughter.

Penelope stiffened at that. She suspected the rest of her team knew about what she and Derek had been up to since their divorce, but when they said it aloud they made it sound so crude. The fact they were bringing it up now, six months after Derek had gone undercover, only stung more.

Had they really been that obvious that people could still remember it this long after?

"You know, why don't you both mind your own business?" When Kate Callahan was pissed, her voice showed it. Right now was one of those moments. Penelope could hear the anger from her spot in the hall. "I get that you're not Morgan's biggest fan because you've got sticks up your asses that he got flirted with more, but stay the hell away from making fun of him and Garcia."

One of the men snorted. "Come on, Callahan," Hanson urged, annoyed. "You're really gonna defend a guy who clearly left his marriage for his job, then keeps pining after that woman he left?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Penelope swallowed hard and prepared herself to breeze into the round table room. She was done hearing them talk about Derek. Everyday since he left she had tried to block him from her memory, and each of those days she made herself more miserable. There wasn't much she could do to get a handle on her deteriorating family situation, and she didn't want to remember that.

"Hello, everyone," she said, attempting to act completely normal. "Everyone have a good night last night?" Her eyes burned into Hanson and Umber, hoping to shame them. "Any girlfriends come over for a little fun?"

Kate smirked from beside Umber. He swallowed, averting his eyes.

Penelope gave both men sugary-sweet smiles.

"Is everyone ready to get this meeting going?" JJ asked, coming into the room all ready for business. Since becoming unit chief in place of Hotch when he retired, she'd been incredibly busy and rarely acted informal with the team as a whole. However, that didn't stop her from being Penelope's best girlfriend when they were just by themselves.

Taking her attention away from the assholes she worked with, Penelope smiled at JJ. "All set, Jayje," she responded, clicking her remote to get started on their case details.

When they finished getting the information and throwing out their initial ideas, JJ rose from her seat and nodded. "Alright, wheels up in thirty. We've got a lot to work out on the plane." She looked up at Penelope. "Garcia, can I talk with you in my office before I get going to the airstrip?"

Penelope nodded gratefully. "Yeah, of course," she said, following her boss to her office.

Once JJ closed the door behind them, she fixed Penelope with a look. "You wanna tell me what's up?" She went around her desk to grab her go-bag, but Penelope could tell she was still listening.

Frowning, Penelope shrugged. She knew JJ was seeing her pain, but she wanted to try and conceal it as long as she could. "Umm, whatcha talking about?"

JJ snorted. "You know better than to try and lie to me, Garcie," she said with a small smile. "I've known you too long."

Penelope rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. "Umber and Hanson were gossiping about Derek," she muttered.

"Let me guess…" JJ started. "They brought you up, too?"

"Yeah," Penelope mumbled.

JJ stopped getting her things for a moment to cross her arms over her chest. "You seem really upset about this," she observed. "What's up?"

Looking down, Penelope rubbed her temples. "Everything is a mess, Jayje," she said softly. "Ever since Derek left, I just…" She thought about her children and everything happening at home. Derek's adamant insistence that him leaving was the best thing for their children and her relationship proved to be completely false. Grant didn't trust her because he figured out she had slept with Derek the night before he left; in fact, she was surprised he hadn't broken up with her. Fox's grades had dropped significantly, and he hardly smiled anymore.

Idina's condition was much worse. She'd gotten into fights at school, she frequently isolated herself in her room, and Penelope had been forced to hide and lock up all the sharp objects in the house.

JJ went to stand in front of her. She put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll always need him, you know," she stated bluntly. "You two can try and try to act like you don't care, but you always need the other. And I'm not talking about just physically." Penelope's face flushed hot red. "I mean in every sense of that word. You two understand each other in a way no one else ever will. Anyone with eyes can see neither of you have wanted anything but each other."

Penelope kept her mouth closed, knowing JJ was right and she and Derek had been imbeciles.

"I have to go, but just hang in there. Derek won't be undercover forever, and when he gets back you can tell him everything," she said. "And ignore Umber and Hanson. They're just jealous they never get laid."

Smiling ever so slightly, Penelope nodded. "I'll try to remember that," she said.

XXXXX

After a long day of work, Penelope trudged into her house. She kicked off her green high heels, grateful to be flat on her feet finally. After her talk with JJ earlier in the day, she felt only slightly better. But now that she was home, the memories of losing her family started to rush back to her.

She sighed, heading toward the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. But as she approached the archway, she heard tense voices.

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" Idina.

"Young lady, I've been with your mother for two years," Grant snapped back. "You _do_ have to listen to me, and if I tell you to come –"

Idina cackled. "You really think because you've been with her for two years that makes you anything important to me," she hissed. "You're never going to be my dad."

"Your dad isn't much of a dad to you either," he snarled back.

Gasping, Penelope burst into the kitchen. She could hardly believe what Grant had just said to her daughter, even if they were in a deep argument. But before she could open her mouth, Idina had launched herself at Grant, a look of fury splashed across her face. Grant, shocked, fell backwards against the kitchen counter.

Penelope sprang into action, hurrying forward to pull Idina off of Grant. The last thing she wanted was her boyfriend taking revenge by calling the police.

"Sweetie," Penelope said, taking her daughter in her arms. "Baby, don't!" Idina still struggled in her arms, trying to get her hands on Grant again.

"Get her the fuck away from me!" Grant hollered, staying as far away from Idina as possible.

Ignoring Grant, Penelope moved away from him, still holding Idina. "Dee, it's okay," she murmured.

"No!" Idina cried. "It isn't!" Without another word, she broke out of her mother's arms and dashed toward the stairs.

Tears burned behind Penelope's eyes and she wiped her eyes. Anger flashed through her, though, and she turned on her heel to storm back into the kitchen where Grant had pulled out whiskey and was tossing it back.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded, going straight up to him to stare him down. She hoped her face would scare Grant into hiding in a hole for the next ten years. "How dare you say that to her!"

Grant set his glass down so it clanked loudly on the granite countertop. " _Me_?" he demanded. "If you didn't notice, your daughter is the one who attacked me! I've tried to be considerate of her, but the way she treats me is fucking ridiculous."

"I'm not saying that's an excuse," Penelope hissed, "but she's depressed! She's not stable right now. You can't say that sort of thing to her when she's like this and expect her not to get upset. Bringing up Derek was way out of line, too! Him being gone has had so much of an impact on her that she can't hear you talking about him like that." She narrowed her eyes. "You had no right to do that."

"Of course you're defending him," he snarled, staring straight back at her. "Apparently he's so good in bed you can't stand the thought of someone talking shit about him."

Penelope rolled her eyes. "My mistakes don't give you permission to go after my daughter," she said, her voice rising. Shaking her head, she pointed toward the front of her house. "You know what? Get the hell out of my house."

"No," Grant said, standing up straighter. "We're going to finish the conversation."

Fuming that Grant thought he could tell her what to do like this. "No," she said, her voice firm as iron. "You're leaving. You don't get to talk to my daughter like that and stick around. I don't care how long we've been together, that doesn't give you the right to talk to her the way you did. So get out."

Grant looked like he would snap at her once again, but instead he held his tongue. Without a word, he strode out of the kitchen and slammed the door on his way out.

After he was gone, Penelope stood stock still in the kitchen, shocked at what happened. Silent tears streamed down her face, but it wasn't long before she choked on a sob. What was happening to her family was killing her. This devastated her, and all she wanted was her family to be whole again.

Wiping her eyes, she went off to the stairs, knowing she needed to check on Idina. When she reached her daughter's room, she knocked on the door softly before opening it. Idina wasn't there.

Panic filled her heart, and she dashed down the hall to the bathroom. "Idina?" she squeaked, unable to keep her voice steady. "Idina, please tell me where you are!"

She received no response.

Hastily, Penelope began throwing doors open to any room she came across. Finally, she reached the end of the hall to her bedroom. She practically leapt into the room, dashing toward her bathroom. Her worst fear greeted her when she hurried through the doorway.

On the floor sat Idina, her back against the countertop. She stared straight ahead. Blood trickled down her arms from several cuts she'd made with one of Penelope's razors. Penelope's heart shattered.

"Oh, God!" she wept, kneeling down beside her daughter. Her knees felt weak, and all her limbs went numb. "Dee…" Once again, tears started to stream down her cheeks. She knew her daughter had been attempting to get her hands on sharp objects, but she had been able to somehow.

But there, right before her eyes, Penelope saw her daughter's arms covered in cuts.

Moving toward her, she reached for the razor in Idina's hand. Gently, she pulled it out of her daughter's limp grasp and cupped Idina's chin in her hand. "Oh, Dee," she murmured, pulling her daughter into her arms.

"I'm not worth it, Mom," Idina murmured, her voice dead and devoid of emotion.

Wiping her face, Penelope asked, "What? What are you talking about?"

"I'm not worth the tears," Idina mumbled. "Dad obviously didn't think I was worth it. You shouldn't think I am either."

Penelope shook her head vigor. "No," she said. "Don't think that. Don't you _ever_ think your dad doesn't care."

Idina looked at Penelope with her expressionless eyes. "He left," she whispered. "That says it all."

Everything about the situation in front of her made Penelope feel hopeless. She had no idea what to do, and she knew she needed help fast if she wanted to get Idina out of her depressive state.

 _You need to come home, Derek,_ she thought.

XXXXX

In his dreams, he saw his family.

So many nights he dreamt of being in Penelope's arms, of her lips trailing down her neck, and making love to her. Other times he dreamt of his children and them smiling with one another.

Tonight he saw Idina, but she was nothing more than a baby. Derek cradled the small bundle that was his daughter in his arms. He never knew he could love someone as much as he loved Penelope, but the love he had for his child was stronger than any force he had ever experienced.

These dreams were the closest thing to seeing his family, and it was also the only place he could be reunited with them in a way that wasn't hostile.

"James, my friend, are you alright over there?"

Derek snapped to attention at the sound of his undercover identity's name. His eyes met those of Diablo Fuentes, the man he was trying to put away.

Fuentes stood at an average height with olive skin and midnight black hair. What was most striking about him was the color of his eyes. They were a golden amber color, and they reminded Derek distinctly of a viper.

The man looked friendly, like he was kind and generous, but the things Derek had seen in the six months he had been undercover told him the man was anything but kind. And yet none of his violent acts were enough to put him away. Derek had seen the man torture other human beings to the point of death, but he didn't have what he needed to put the drug lord away.

"I'm alright, boss," Derek said, taking a sip of his whiskey. He and Fuentes were sitting in the drug lord's office, the two of them waiting for a call from a supplier who would be bringing in a new shipment of cocaine into the city.

Fuentes was quiet for a moment. "Do you have family, James?" the drug lord finally asked, swirling his drink in his glass. "People who you love? Did you ever have a woman who you loved with all your heart and soul?"

Derek was quiet for a moment. His identity that had been made for him before taking the assignment was that he had no family, that he was a loner from the Bronx. But his mind still shot to Penelope, to Fox and Idina. He missed them terribly, and Fuentes' question made his heart ache.

"No," he lied, meeting Fuentes' snake-like eyes. "I've never needed anyone."

Fuentes chuckled in amusement. "You've never wanted a woman who could cradle you in her warm thighs?" he asked. "You've never wanted children who you could love with your whole heart?"

 _I have them_ , he thought sorrowfully.

Instead, he shook his head. "I've never thought about it."

Fuentes nodded slowly. "I once had a beautiful wife and two wonderful sons," he said, taking another sip of his whiskey. "They died in Colombia, before I came to America. The drug trade brought the death of them." His eyes grew distant, as if he were traveling back in time to the life he had before. "I loved them very much, as a man should love his family. When I lost them, I fell into so deep a depression I almost killed myself."

Derek swallowed hard as he listened to Fuentes tell his tale. His mind shot back to Fox and Idina, thinking if anything happened to them he would end his life, too.

"But I went on, I began to run a business, and now I have crushed the men who killed them," Fuentes went on. "I slit their throats in their sleep so they didn't even have a chance to scream. But something I always will remember is how much I loved them. They were my life, and I would give up all of this to have them back. Family is the most important thing, James." He raised his glass to Derek. "When you decide to have one of your own, don't ever let them go."

"You got it, boss," Derek said, knowing in his heart that even if Fuentes was an evil man, he was right about the meaning of family.

 **A note about Idina: Even though it may seem like Idina is being a brat, she does have depression. This is not the stereotypical representation of depression, but a rather a different type of manifestation.**


	7. Beginning of the Hunt

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Here's the next one of this angsty adventure. We've got a lot of stuff ahead for the Morgan family, and it won't be pretty. However, if you've read any of my other stories, you'll know how my endings go ;) Thank you so much for the reviews, and I hope you'll enjoy!**

 _2 Weeks Later_

"James, my friend, what will you be drinking tonight?" Diablo Fuentes boomed as he and his group of drug runners walked into the bar where they were supposed to be meeting. Derek looked up from his spot in the back of the bar. He had been staring at the scratched wood of the table, thinking about the most recent dream he'd had. Or had it been a memory? He couldn't quite tell anymore.

It had been Penelope, Idina, and Fox, the three of them smiling as he set up the camera to take a photo of them on a trip they'd taken to the Grand Canyon when the kids were much younger.

Dream or memory, it was the most pleasant he had felt in a long time.

Nodding to the drug lord, Derek said, "I'll take a scotch, boss."

Fuentes clapped one of the men standing with him on the back. "Diego, go get us a round of scotches," he commanded, knowing the drug runner wouldn't protest.

Before leaving, Diego glared at Derek. He knew the drug runner hated him for slipping into Fuentes' favor after only being a part of the cartel for six months. All Derek did was stare back. He was here to do a job, and if things went the way he wanted, he'd take Diego down with Fuentes when he managed to make some charges stick. He absolutely despised Diego; the bastard frequently bragged about girls he had raped. Because Diego didn't stop at women, he went after teenagers.

If it were up to Derek, he would beat the shit out of this man and tie weights to his ankles before dropping him into the Hudson River.

"Have you done what I have asked?" Fuentes asked after Diego disappeared to the bar. He and the other two men sat down in the circular booth, waiting for Diego to come back with the drinks.

Derek nodded. "Yeah," he said, keeping his face gruff. "The supply will be in from Juarez next week, right on schedule. So will the one mil."

Fuentes regarded him carefully at the mention of money. Derek didn't even squirm, but he swore he saw a glint of distrust in the cartel lord's eyes.

"Wasn't the money supposed to be here _this_ week?" Fuentes asked, leaning back and observing Derek carefully.

By now, Diego had returned to the table with the scotches. Before answering, Derek took his drink from the other man and took a nonchalant sip. He knew what Fuentes was thinking: he seemed suspicious that Derek might have stolen the money. Everything in his body language suggested he thought that, and from what his time in the cartel had told him, Fuentes was notoriously greedy.

Observing his drink, Derek answered, "Not here yet. I told them you'd be pissed, but all they said was it will be here with the shipment."

Silence blanketed the table, but no one cared after a moment. The others began speaking in lower voices, as if the exchange had not even happened.

For nearly an hour, the group talked in the bar, as it grew gradually louder. Derek made small talk, as was typical of the character he was playing in the cartel.

But as they sat, a loud booming voice broke out from right behind Derek.

" _Derek Morgan?_ "

At first, the sound of his name startled him, and Derek forced himself to remain calm. He kept his eyes focused on his drink and the men around him, pretending he hadn't heard him and had no idea who Derek Morgan was. He was James Anderson now, no longer Derek Morgan.

But then he could no longer ignore the obnoxious man hollering his name. He came up and shoved Derek in the shoulder, stepping in front of him so he saw his face. Derek recognized the man as an agent in the New York Field Office, SSA Harrison Jagger. He'd met the man only once, but somehow this guy remembered him.

To make matters worse, the agent was drunk as hell.

Arching a brow, Derek looked up at him. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"What the fuck do you mean _who the hell are you_?" the agent laughed, his words slurring. "You can't tell me you forgot me. Although it wouldn't surprise me. One of the FBI's BAU most valuable agents probably doesn't remember the simple agents he works with." He snickered. "You have a bit more facial hair than you did the last time, mate."

Derek was well aware the men at the table were staring at him with fire in their eyes, but he knew he needed to keep his composure. With an even voice, he shook his head. "Brother, you really have no fuckin' clue who you're talking to," he snapped, praying the other man would take the hint and fuck off.

Jagger took a closer look at him. "No," he protested. "I know exactly who I'm talking to. You were here several years ago with your team to help with that string of serial rape homicides. I remember _exactly_ who you are."

All of the sudden, Fuentes rose to his feet and stared dangerously at Agent Jagger. His eyes were steely. " _Amigo_ , I'd back off if I were you," he growled. "You're mistaken on who my friend is. If he says he isn't this _Derek Morgan_ , like you claim he is, he isn't that person. So back the fuck off before I jam a knife in your belly and gut you."

The agent's eyes went wide, and he backed up, raising his hands in surrender. His glazed over eyes came to life. "Whoa, there!" he slurred. "Alright, he isn't who I thought he was." His eyes flicked to Derek once more.

"Call yourself a cab, and get on home," Fuentes said, nodding toward the door. His eyes didn't lose their dangerous gleam.

And then he was gone, stumbling off out the door.

Fuentes sat down once again, his eyes finding Derek's. Derek knew that in order for Fuentes to believe him, or respect him at all, he needed to hold his gaze. He refused to back down.

"You seem to be very convincing as another person, James," Diego drawled out. His voice had a hint of snark to it, as if he were pleased with Derek being put on the spot like this.

Still Derek's gaze did not leave Fuentes'. "An honest mistake, right James?" Fuentes said in a low voice. "That man was clearly drunk and confused."

Derek nodded. "You got it, boss," he assured Fuentes.

Fuentes remained staring at him for another moment, but then his face broke out in a grin. Turning to Diego, he nodded. "Go get us another round, Diego," he ordered, much to the chagrin of Diego.

XXXXX

 _Later That Night – Residence of Diablo Fuentes_

"Diego, I have a task for you," Fuentes said as he and Diego entered his apartment later that night. He knew Diego was annoyed with him for making him fetch the drinks all night, but the man was also Fuentes' most loyal drug runner. He would do whatever he told him to.

Diego shifted his weight. "What do you need, sir?" he asked.

"I want you to look into our friend James," he said, sitting down on his sofa that looked out over Manhattan. "That agent in the bar looked so sure he was a fellow FBI agent. I want to believe James, but I don't think I can. We have to clear him by finding evidence."

Fuentes would be lying if he said didn't enjoy James Anderson. The man may have been silent and often had a distant look of sorrow in her eyes, but he was a solid man, dependable. But he'd only met him six months ago, and had no way of knowing if he could trust him.

The money from Juarez not being ready yet also gave him cause to think his new follower may have taken him for a fool

This announcement made Diego grin wickedly. "Not a problem, sir," he said. "I'm going to get started right now."

Fuentes nodded, knowing that he would be forced to eliminate James – or possibly Derek – in the most brutal way possible if he was an FBI agent.

He had a reputation to uphold, and even if there were flickers of enjoyment in James' company, he would slit his throat without a second thought if he needed to.

XXXXX

 _Two Nights Later_ – _Apartment of "James Anderson"_

" _Dad!"_

Derek snapped awake, covered in a cold sweat. The sound of Idina's screams echoed in his ears. In his nightmare – it was a nightmare this time, rather than a dream of being reunited with his family – Idina was in the clutches of Diego, who leered over her with a devilish grin that chilled Derek to the bone.

He sat up, rubbing his forehead as he tried to force the dream from his head. His stomach churned, and he wanted to vomit. The idea of his daughter anywhere near the scum that Diego was too much for him to bear. He rose to his feet and went to the small sink to splash cold water on his face.

Nothing could banish the memory of his nightmare from his mind, though.

As he stumbled to his sink to get a drink of water, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his back pocket, reading the caller ID. It was Fuentes. After the dream he had about Diego attacking Idina, he had very little energy to deal with the drug lord. Even so, he knew he had to answer it. He needed to prove his loyalty after the bastard Agent Jagger almost blew his cover.

"Hello?" he answered, rubbing his eyes.

"I wanted to believe you," Fuentes' snake-like voice said.

The tone of his voice immediately sent Derek into a whirlwind of panic. "Boss? That you?" he asked, trying to feign confusion.

"You know damn well it's me," Fuentes hissed. "You almost got away with it, _James_. Although, your name isn't really James, is it? That man at the bar wasn't drunk. He recognized you."

Derek knew the game was over. Something was confusing him, though.

"Why are you calling me to tell me this?" Derek asked, his muscles tensing up. "Why isn't Diego at my door to kill me? Why aren't _you_ here to kill me?"

Fuentes chuckled darkly. "Oh, my dear _friend_ ," he said. "I can't kill you yet. You've got the one million dollars I should have gotten today. I want that back. I've found something better to do to you to ensure I get what is mine." He laughed even harder. "You remember that conversation you and I had? The one about family?"

Derek's blood ran cold. He swallowed hard.

"You're silent, so I'll assume you _do_ remember," Fuentes went on. "Well, I'll tell you right now what you're going to do: if you want to see you beautiful family again, you're going to go through a series of challenges to get them back. If you can get through my riddles, and manage to avoid your own buddies at the FBI, you'll save your family. If you don't get me my money in three days time, your precious family is going to die in the slowest, most painful way possible."

" _No!_ " Derek roared into his phone. "You stay away from them! Don't –"

"Try and stop me," he taunted.

Before Derek could say something else, Fuentes hung up. The words he said ran through his mind, a blur of emotions burning holes in his gut. What had Fuentes meant by avoiding the FBI? What had he meant by riddles?

Every muscle in his body felt like it had been electrified by a livewire. Hurriedly, he began packing a duffel bag, throwing in a jacket and several clips for his glock. He needed to get on the road and rush to the house. He could only hope Fuentes had them in DC still, and if he got to Quantico, he could get JJ's help in finding them. Right now, he needed his team.

As he readied himself to rush out the door, a text rang in on his phone. Pulling it out, he opened it. He almost dropped it. The photo had been sent from Fuentes.

In it sat his family, all three of them gagged and blindfolded. A message was attached to it.

 _Time is ticking_.


	8. Framed

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Here is our chapter 8 of this little tale. Thank you so much for the reviews and readership on this story. We've got a little more angst in store, so hang in there!**

 **Warning: There is some violent content in this chapter.**

 _Somewhere Off the Hudson Bay – Ontario, Canada_

Penelope's fingers twitched, despite the numbness keeping them frozen. She shook and shivered. Last night, she and her children had been taken without an explanation. Her head throbbed from where she had been blitzed. She prayed no harm had come to Idina and Fox.

She couldn't ask them, though. All three of them had been gagged and blindfolded.

Tears burned the back of her eyes. She didn't know where she and her children were being kept, but the car ride had been long and tedious. All three of them got jostled around, and she could feel the fear of her children radiating off of them.

Suddenly, the sound of a creaky door being slammed open sounded from across the room. Several boots trampling across the ground – the ground sounded soft, and it felt soft beneath Penelope – came stomping towards her and her children. Or maybe she wasn't near her children. She couldn't feel the heat of their bodies near her.

That made her even more afraid.

"Take that lovely woman's blindfold off, Diego."

The voice that spoke sounded like a hiss, almost snakelike. It sent chills down Penelope's spine. Seconds after, she was grabbed roughly by her hair and had her blindfold ripped off. Blinding light hit her eyes, burning them. She blinked several times, adjusting to the brightness. It was clearly a barn, but fluorescent lights had been installed, almost as if they were being used for sleep deprivation.

Panicking, she looked around. Her breathing intensified, and she made sure she could see both Fox and Idina. They were huddled together a few feet away from her, shivering uncontrollably.

"Look at me, _Penelope_ ," the man directly in front of her ordered.

Her head shot in his direction. When her eyes met his, her breath caught in her chest. His eyes were a frightening golden, vicious and malicious and unforgiving. Squatting down in front of her, he tweaked her nose. She flinched backwards, unable to look away from the magnetic, wicked eyes of the man in front of her.

He smiled at her, almost as if he was kind. However, his eyes remained like a viper's. Leaning forward, he pulled at the gag in her mouth. She flexed her sore jaw.

"There," he said. "Now we can have a little chat. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Penelope didn't say anything. She was too scared.

All of the sudden, his hand shot forward and grabbed her chin in an iron grip. She yelped.

"It sounds nice, _doesn't_ it?" he repeated in a much harsher voice.

She nodded. "Yes," she said in a small voice. Her eyes flicked to Idina and Fox. "Please, my children! They're cold."

He nodded. "I'm well aware of that, Mrs. Morgan," he said in a silky voice.

"Wh – why are you calling me that?" she stuttered. "I'm not married – "

"Yes, you're not technically married," he acknowledged. "But nevertheless, you're important." He smiled. "But where are my manners? My name is Diablo Fuentes. You've probably heard of me, seeing that you work in the FBI. They've been after me for a long time."

Penelope's blood ran cold. If Fuentes had them, then that meant…

Her lower lip trembled. "What did you do to Derek?" she murmured, her heart breaking in her chest.

Fuentes shook his head, chuckling. "Oh, don't you worry, my darling," he laughed. "He's just fine."

That made no sense. Diablo Fuentes was notorious for killing those who crossed him. Why was Derek not dead? What made Fuentes change his tactics?

"He's so sorry he couldn't be here," Fuentes said. "He's not very happy with me for taking you and your beautiful children." He looked over at Idina and Fox, a slight smirk spreading across as his face. "Idina is very pretty. Looks a lot like your husband dear."

She gritted her teeth. "I told you, I'm not married to him."

"No, of course not." Fuentes laughed again. "But you are still in love with him. I've seen the look in his eyes when he gets lost in thought. There's clearly a woman in his life. And the fear in your eyes when you thought he might be dead shows _you_ still love him."

Penelope didn't say anything. She simply studied his face.

"Aren't you going to ask why you and your beautiful children have been taken to Canada of all places?" he asked, breaking the tense silence in the room.

Her eyes bugged out of her head. "Canada?" she choked.

He nodded. "It'll make you harder to find, and my goal is to have you all dead before Derek can reach you."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Fuentes shrugged, patting her cheek like she was a small child. "Oh, my girl." He rose to her feet. "You see, I am playing a game with him. Usually I would kill him, but when I found out he has a beautiful family who he cares about more than his own life? Well I had to play with that idea. Neither of the first two agents I had killed had families. Derek is different. Not only does he have a family, but he has a million dollars that belongs to me."

She shifted in her position. That didn't sound like Derek. He wasn't one to steal money; that had never interested him.

Her eyes shot to her children again. She knew they were hearing every word Fuentes was saying; tears were slipping out from their blindfolds.

"Please," she whimpered. "Don't do this to my children. They're innocent!"

"Oh, I know they are," he laughed. "That doesn't matter to me, though. But don't interrupt me. I've not gotten to the story of what I'm doing to your beloved family if Derek fails. Basically, he will have to solve a series of riddles I send him. He has forty-eight hours to find you before I kill you all. But that's not all I'll do to you three if your husband is late." He grinned devilishly, looking like a panther that had found its prey.

The one called Diego spoke up from behind his boss. "Tell her, boss," he said. "Tell her what I'm going to do."

Fuentes held up his hand to silence him. "Patience, Diego," he chastised. "I'll tell her in just a moment." He turned his attention back to Penelope, arching a brow. "Tell me, my dear, what is the worst crime you've ever seen committed against a family?"

Different cases sprang to her mind that her team had solved over the years. So many came to mind. But the look in Diego's eager eyes and Fuentes' gleeful one ones told her none of those cases were going to compare to what was going to happen to her, Idina, and Fox if Derek wasn't there in time.

Her lower lip trembled. "There are too many," she whimpered. "I can't think of a specific one."

Diego cackled from behind Fuentes. The drug lord rolled his eyes at his second in command, but nevertheless got to the part Diego wanted so badly. "My friends behind me both have, we'll call them, _specialties_. Garret's is torture. He is especially useful when I have to get information out of people. However, Diego has an appetite for girls. Girls about your daughter's age, in fact." He glanced backward at his friend. "Am I right, Diego?"

"Perfect," Diego snickered, casting his eyes over at Idina.

A flash of rage shot through Penelope, and she leaned forward to spit at Fuentes feet. "You stay away from her!" she screamed, struggling against the cable ties that were digging into her wrists. "Don't touch my daughter!"

Fuentes laughed wickedly before leaning down in front of Penelope to grasp her chin again. "We're going to make one thing very clear: if Derek doesn't get here in time with my money, all three of you will _wish_ you were victims of those serial killers you and the Behavioral Analysis Unit catch. Your son will be Garret's new buddy and Idina will be Diego's plaything." He grinned, caressing her cheek almost tenderly. "You? You'll be mine."

Penelope glared at him, the fire of her anger balancing out the cold of the air around her. "He'll find you," she hissed. "Derek _will_ find you."

"I don't think you're right," Fuentes responded. He smiled, reaching forward to reset her gag in her mouth. Next he retied her blindfold, plunging her back into darkness. Patting her cheek, he stood back up and turned to Garret and Diego. "Let's leave this lovely family alone for a little while."

After she heard the slamming of the door again, Penelope shook and shivered against the wall of the barn. Sliding along the ground, she worked on scooting her way over to where she had seen her children before the blindfold had been placed back over her eyes. She finally bumped into Fox's shivering form. Her son leapt in fear, but when she thrust her arms forward, she grasped onto his little hands.

They were frozen.

She had no possibility of moving her arms far, but she could at least hold his hand. Even without being able to speak, she was still able to give some sort of comfort to them.

 _Hurry up, Derek!_ she thought.

XXXXX

 _Quantico, VA_

Derek shoved his way into the BAU bullpen, not caring that he looked a mess. It was late at night, but thankfully JJ was still in her office. A few other people were there as well; Kate sat at her desk, and Umber and Hanson pored over slides on the projector in the round table room.

Kate looked up when she heard him slam inside. Her eyes went wide. "Derek?"

He didn't say anything, just kept pushing toward JJ's office. Knocking frantically on his former unit chief's door, he didn't wait until JJ's voice sounded to open it.

"JJ!" he growled when he came in.

JJ looked up at him from her paperwork. Her eyes went wide with shock. "Oh my God, Derek!" she cried. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be undercover?"

"Fuentes took Penelope and the kids," he choked out, ignoring her question completely. "I need your help to get them back."

She shot to her feet. "What? What do you mean?"

He shook his head, pissed that she would ask the question, even though he knew she needed to at the speed he was going. His heart raced, and sweat beaded on his forehead. "I mean that he took them. He sent me a photo of them blindfolded and gagged. I need your help in finding them. Gather the team. We need to get a profile going, and we need to get a task force to find them."

JJ went around her desk. Blood drained from her face as she gazed upon Derek's deathly serious gaze. "What did he tell you?" she asked, attempting to keep her voice calm. "Everything, from start to finish."

Derek explained everything to JJ, telling her everything from the riddles to the mysterious phrasing of watching out for and avoiding the FBI. He pulled out the phone he had used during his time undercover to present the riddle he had received. JJ listened intently, while Kate, Hanson, and Umber trickled into the office as well.

"Morgan, what the hell are _you_ doing here?" Hanson demanded. His eyes narrowed.

Derek barely paid him any mind. He rubbed his face, unable to think straight in his panicked and equally exhausted state. His mind began to wander. He saw in his mind Penelope, Idina, and Fox. He couldn't escape the image of them, blindfolded and terrified.

"Diablo Fuentes took my family," he managed.

The room went silent. JJ looked at Morgan head on, worried. After another moment, she turned to the team and said, "We're going to get rolling on this immediately. Hanson, contact the DEA. This is a drug lord, they need to be informed and help us. Umber, I need you to call the borders to Canada and Mexico; we can't have him taking them across the border. Kate, get the alert out to all airports that we can't have him flying. I'm going to call the Director and let him know what's going on."

Derek swallowed hard. "I'm going to go talk to Monty," he said. "Maybe he can get started on something for us."

Without waiting for objections from the team, he headed toward the door. His limbs felt weighed down, as if stones were crushing him to the point he couldn't breathe. Before he made it to Monty's office, he leaned against the wall. He couldn't focus. His brain muddled with the thoughts of guilt. If he hadn't gone undercover, Penelope, Idina, and Fox never would have been taken. Penelope was right all along; if he had stayed home, he might have been able to rebuild his relationship with his children and keep them safe.

Regaining his composure, Derek stumbled onward to Penelope's colleague's office. He knocked sharply on the door, praying Monty had not left for the day.

"Come on in!"

Derek entered and found Monty turned around to see who was entering. He looked surprised to see him.

"Morgan!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet with a smile. "What's up, man? I thought you were undercover right now. You nab the bad guy?"

"No," he choked out. "Listen, Monty, I need your help. Diablo Fuentes has Penelope and my kids."

Monty's mouth dropped. "Oh my God, for real?" he asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I need you to try and track Diablo Fuentes' phone. I know it's not likely it'll lead us anywhere, but we need to try anyway."

Whirling around to face his computers again, Monty began frantically typing. "I'm going to do anything I can," he promised. "Do you know anything else?"

"My first riddle came in while I was driving down, but I don't know what it means," he said, frustrated. He pulled out his phone to show Monty the riddle:

 _Heavily guarded, but less so in the North_

 _They know your name, they know your face_

 _With your friends on your tail_

 _Will you dare to cross the line?_

Monty's brow furrowed. "Umm, yeah, I've got _no_ idea what that is supposed to mean."

As Derek opened his mouth to say something, the door to Monty's office swung open and Kate burst in. She looked worried, her face pale. "Derek, we need to get you out of here!" she exclaimed.

He frowned. "Why?"

She closed the door quickly. "Because agents from the New York field office are here to arrest you," she explained. "They think you murdered one of their agents, a guy named Jagger. Someone saw you two at the bar with Diablo Fuentes, and they say they have evidence that you killed him."

Derek's fists clenched. This was what Fuentes had meant by watching out for the FBI. He murdered the agent who blew his cover and now was framing him. He couldn't imagine what sort of evidence he had planted on him, but whatever it was, the New York office had enough to follow him here.

"Are they going to do anything about my family?" he demanded. "Will they at least do that?"

Kate bit her lip. "We don't know yet. But right now, JJ told me to come and get you out." She produced a cellphone. "This is a new phone that we'll use to contact you with. The one you have with Fuentes will be what you can receive the riddles with. We programed Reid's number in so that you can call him to figure out the riddles." She gestured to him. "Come on! We have to get you out of the building."

"I'll call you when I have anything, Morgan," Monty said.

Derek nodded to him, following Kate out of Monty's office and toward the stairwell.

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter of my twoshot,** _ **Hello**_ **as well!**


	9. Border Crossing

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Sorry about the delay on releasing this. Thank you for your reviews! Here's more of the case. Please be aware this chapter contains violent content.**

 **In other news, the Profiler's Choice Awards are going on right now. Of the nominations I received this year (some for categories I've never been nominated for!), the five I chose to appear on the final ballot are: Best Overall Author, Best Team/Case story ("The Truth Will Out"), Best Post-Episode story ("Let 'Em Burn), Best JJ/Garcia ("Who's The Daddy Gonna Be?") and Best Characterization of Garcia ("Reincarnated"). Head on over to the forum page when voting opens and check out the works by all the talented writers!**

 _Quantico, VA_

"You can't really believe Agent Morgan killed him, can you?" JJ said, trying to stall the New York office as long as she could so Kate could get Morgan out of the building before he could be apprehended. It was clear to her that Morgan hadn't killed anyone; he wasn't the type. But the New York agents were persistent.

The team leader, Hank Collins, who JJ had met once before, smirked at her. "Agent Jareau, with all due respect, what makes you so sure your agent didn't go a little native and decide to join the ranks of Diablo Fuentes' cartel to make a little money?"

JJ opened her mouth to respond, but Agent Hanson beat her to speaking. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did," he said.

Eyes going wide, JJ looked toward her team member and gaped at him. "What the fuck are you talking about, Hanson?" she demanded.

"I'm saying that based on the behavior of Morgan over the years I've known him," Hanson began, "that I think he could join a drug cartel." He crossed his arms over his chest. "The man is obviously unstable, and his family life suffered because of it. Joining a drug cartel would be the best way to get over the fact he lost his wife and kids to someone else. He'd have power again over something."

"What the _fuck_ are you talking about?" JJ cried, glaring at Hanson. He merely raised his brows at her. Huffing, JJ turned to the agents from New York, trying to contain her anger. "Listen Collins, Derek Morgan would not become a drug lord, and he _certainly_ wouldn't kill a fellow agent! He especially wouldn't join the same cartel that just took his family!"

Collins crossed his arms over his chest. "Agent Jareau, we have evidence that implicates Derek Morgan in the murder of my agent. His fingerprints are on the murder weapon, and there's a bar full of witnesses who saw Agent Morgan arguing with the victim before he was killed."

JJ shook with anger, unable to find the words she wanted to say. She observed Agent Collins carefully. There was no way he was bluffing; he had some evidence against Derek. She knew Derek was being framed, but there was no way these agents were going to believe that when they'd lost one of their own.

"Where is he?" Collins asked. "We need to talk to him."

Agent Umber spoke up. "I'll take you to him," he offered eagerly.

JJ knew that Kate had done what she wanted and gotten Morgan out, so she knew they wouldn't find him. But that didn't change how angry she was with Hanson and Umber for being so eager to sell out their colleague.

"Hanson, I need to speak with you while Umber is taking them to find Morgan," she instructed, shooting a cool look toward her agent.

Umber led the agents from New York toward Monty's office, leaving Hanson and JJ alone in the bullpen. She glared, pointing at him.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him. "You _know_ Derek would never join a cartel or kill someone. You know it!"

"No, JJ, I don't," Hanson shot back, putting his hands on his hips. "You think he's a saint, but he's not. He's unpredictable, and Garcia and their kids are probably fine and just not answering his calls because they don't want anything to do with him."

JJ went forward and stared at Hanson, hoping her look would make him wither and shrink in fear. "You've always been jealous of Morgan since you joined the BAU. You're not profiling when you're telling those agents you think he could have done it, you're trying to take him off the team so you don't have to compete with him!"

"No, I just know he's an asshole who is probably desperate for some semblance of normal to come back into his life," Hanson said, glaring back at her. "Don't try and defend him."

"I've known him for a long time, and I know he wouldn't do anything like that," JJ snarled. "You're on dangerous ground if you try and falsely accuse him of murder."

Hanson smirked at her. "We'll see who's on dangerous ground," he said, heading for the door.

XXXXX

 _Washington DC_

Derek checked his new cellphone that Kate had given him, pressing the number programed that was already programed in. The young genius, who was not so young anymore, was his only chance at figuring out these riddles. He thought about the words of the riddle. They bounced off the walls of his skull.

 _Heavily guarded, but less so in the North_

 _They know your name, they know your face_

 _With your friends on your tail_

 _Will you dare to cross the line?_

He had no fucking clue what this meant. This was why he needed the brain of Spencer Reid to solve the riddle. Derek never would have pegged Fuentes as the smartest person in the world, but somehow he had come up with riddles that would cause problems.

He put it to his ear and waited for Reid to answer. He had no time to waste.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kid," Derek said, rubbing his eyes. "It's me."

"Morgan!" Reid yelped. "I'm so glad you called. JJ said you would as soon as you were out of Quantico. Something about Diablo Fuentes framing you for murder and the New York office wanting to take you in."

He rolled his eyes. "Apparently half my team wants me in custody because they think I actually murdered that guy." He sighed, inhaling and exhaling shakily. "I need your help, Reid. I need you to help me figure out that riddle. Monty said he sent it to you."

"Yes, yes he did," Reid said. "And I think I figured it out. I think you need to go to Canada."

Derek almost choked. " _Canada_?"

"Yeah, Canada," Reid confirmed. "See, when he wrote 'heavily guarded,' it means the border. The United States border is extremely well guarded, but it's not as tight at the Canadian border. When he says they know who you are, he means the border needs your identification. And that last part is obviously about you daring to cross the border with the whole FBI looking for you."

Blinking, Derek took a shaky breath. "So you're telling me I have to cross the border into Canada when the FBI is looking for me?"

"Yeah," Reid said, apologetically. "I am. Do you have any idea how you're going to do it?"

He shook his head, even though he knew Reid couldn't see him. "Not a clue," he said. "I need to call Monty. Maybe he'll be able to help me."

"You call me as soon as you get that second riddle," Reid said. "Kate told me JJ wants me to not contact you unless it's a riddle. She wants you to keep from getting caught."

"She's right," Derek said. "I don't want them coming after you."

"Are you sure you don't want me to fly over to help you –" he started to ask.

Derek's voice snapped into the phone. "No!" he said. "It wouldn't be worth it. You'd get here by the time the timeline ended with you being in Beijing. Besides, I need you available to be on the phone."

Reid sighed. "Bring them home," he said. "I'll come as soon as you have the final riddle."

"I will," Derek promised, hanging up. He needed Monty's help for crossing the border. Of course Fuentes would take Penelope and the kids out of the country. If Derek didn't make it in time, Canada wouldn't expedite Fuentes to the United States because they wouldn't want him to meet the death penalty.

Hurriedly, he dialed Monty, knowing he needed to work fast so no one would suspect the technical analyst of helping aid a fugitive.

"What you got for me?" Monty asked as soon as he answered the phone.

"Canada," Derek mumbled. "I need to cross the God damn Canadian border. I'm guessing by the time I drive up there, there will be a warrant out for me."

"There's a warrant out on you now, man," Monty admitted. "Hanson and Umber are helping those New York agents, and man, they're all _pissed_ you're gone. They even accused JJ and Kate of being in on it…which they were, but still."

Derek cursed, knowing he owed JJ, Kate and Monty his life for what they were doing for him. "I appreciate everything you guys are doing," he said. "I hate to ask you for anymore than you've already done, but I need to know if you have any bright ideas for how I can get myself over the border."

Monty laughed. "I thought you'd never ask," he said. "I actually might have a plan that will get you where you need to be."

XXXXX

 _Ontario, Canada_

Time slipped away slowly for Penelope as she tried to struggle her way out of her bonds. She cursed the fact she couldn't speak or see. The barn was bitterly cold, making her fingers stiff and frozen. Her tongue worked wildly to push her gag from her mouth, so much so that it was sore from the effort.

Fox whimpered at her side every so often, and Idina remained deathly quiet. It worried Penelope to death that she couldn't hear her, but once she managed to get herself free, she would feel better.

The gag was tight, but after several minutes she managed to spit it out. She coughed as the cold air filled her mouth. "Guys?" she murmured. "Fox? Idina?" Neither of them made a noise. "Guys, make a noise if you can hear me and let me know if you're okay!"

Both of them made a small grunt, Fox's louder than Idina's.

Using her shoulder, Penelope managed to push her blindfold up at least a small bit. She could faintly make out the forms of her children. Neither of them looked any different from when she'd last seen them. Shaking, both from nerves and the cold, she pushed her stiff arms forward and touched Fox's shoulder. She couldn't reach Idina.

"Listen to me, both of you," she whispered, hoping no one who could possibly be lurking outside the barn. "Your dad is going to find us. He's going to get us and he's going to get us out of here. He _will_. You need to believe that." She knew the words wouldn't do much, but when they were tied up and shivering in the barn, words of comfort were all she could offer them. "We're going to be okay. He'll be –"

Before she could finish what she was saying, the door to the barn slid open, sounding like nails grating against stone. Penelope winced, and she tried frantically to pull the gag back into her mouth before Fuentes and his cronies saw she had spit it out.

"Well, it would seem as though the gag and blindfold weren't tied tightly enough to Mrs. Morgan." Fuentes' voice slithered into Penelope's ears like the snake he looked so much like. It caused her to shake with fright. He strode forward and stopped in the middle of the barn in front of Penelope and her children. He gave her a small smile. Glancing over at Diego, he nodded to him. "Go get her and bring her to me," he ordered.

Penelope struggled as Diego grinned devilishly and grabbed her by the shoulders. She attempted to kick out her legs, but her ankles being tied together made it impossible. He dropped her in front of Fuentes, who leaned down and removed both her gag and blindfold again. Looking up from her, he nodded to Diego once again.

"Remove the children's blindfolds," he commanded.

Shivers shot down Penelope's spine. His calm demeanor and even expression set her anxiety on fire. It was much worse than if he had been grinning and animated. The nearly golden eyes blazed with a sense of calculation that meant nothing but terror was on its way. She shook her head, biting her lip so hard it almost bled. "No," she begged. "Don't do anything to hurt them. _Please_!"

Fuentes ignored her and waited patiently for Idina and Fox's blindfolds to be removed. When they were removed, both children winced fiercely as the lights above them assaulted their eyes. Penelope's gaze shot towards them, trying to grasp their attentions so they could focus on anything but the terrifying men around them.

"Don't think I will spare them from what happens to those who cross me," Fuentes said, leaning forward so he was directly in front of Penelope. His breath burned her skin, and she shrank back as much as she could before his hand shot forward to grab her blonde hair by the roots. She bit her lip even harder to keep from showing Idina and Fox any sign of weakness.

 _Stay strong for them_ , she screamed at herself.

Moving backwards, Fuentes observed her with the same malice she had seen in many unsubs' eyes. Before Penelope could even process what that silence could mean, his hand came up and slammed into her left ear. The force of the hit slammed her into the ground where she landed with a _thump_.

Stars filled her vision as she lay on the ground. The patches melded together with the bright fluorescent lights, and she prayed she wouldn't pass out. She blinked fiercely, trying to regain her vision. As she sat up, Fuentes reached his hand forward and grabbed her by her throat. He pulled her to her feet with strength she never imagined he would have for a man his size. Her airway cut off, and she couldn't claw at his hands because they were tied together.

From across the room, she heard Diego laughing. Her eyes shot to the man towering above her children. Fox let out a strangled cry, smothered by his gag, and Idina struggled in her cable ties holding her limbs together. Tears streamed down Penelope's cheeks from the corners of her eyes.

Fuentes pulled her closer to him to whisper in her ear, "If you slip that gag off again, I'll break your jaw. Then I'll beat your children, and you won't even be able to scream for me to stop."

Without another word, he let go of her so she dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Penelope glared up at him. She coughed, trying to have enough air that she could manage to speak.

"Derek will kill you," she rasped. Venomous rage coursed through her veins at the thought of Fuentes harming Fox or Idina. "If you touch our children, you're dead."

Fuentes merely grinned down at her. "That would require that he get here, Mrs. Morgan."


	10. Icy Roads

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hello all! Thank you so much for your patience while I get this chapter finished. I appreciate the reviews. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.**

 _United States – Canadian Border_

Dawn was a mere few hours away as Derek approached the Canadian border. A hint of pink started to show up on the horizon, signaling the morning light. With only thirty-six hours left to save his family, he needed to be crossing into Canada. It put him one step closer to saving them. He also knew that Fuentes would likely be sending him the next riddle, and he needed that if he was going to find Penelope, Idina, and Fox. He was thankful the FBI would be unable to track his cellphone Fuentes had given him, otherwise he would have been caught.

Shifting into the left lane, Derek picked up the phone Fuentes had given him and dialed Monty, who'd instructed him to call when he was getting to the border. He pressed it to his ear, waiting for the technical analyst's voice to fill his ear.

"That you, Morgan?" Monty asked.

"Yeah," he ground out. "It's me. Remind me how your crazy ass plan is going to work again."

Monty chuckled. "Don't doubt me, man," he said. "This is going to work, I know it will. You still got your ID and papers from when you were undercover?"

"Yeah, of course," Derek said, digging into his glove box.

"Okay, then," Monty said. "Like I told you earlier, I'm gonna hack into the border control computers and fool the system into thinking those papers aren't connected to you as an alias. 'Cause Hanson and Umber had them put down your undercover information as an alias in order to catch you if you went north or south."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Of course _they're_ after me," he scoffed.

"Yeah, JJ and Kate are duking it out with them and the New York agents about you," Monty admitted. "You've got a bit of an uphill battle when you get home, Morgan. Fuentes apparently used a weapon to kill that guy that had your prints on it."

Gritting his teeth, Derek tightened his fist around the wheel. Fuentes' face flashed before his eyes, and all he could think about was using whatever weapon he had been framed with to kill the man who had his family.

"I don't care about what's waiting for me when I get home," Derek hissed. "Give me a rundown of what we're doing. I'm getting closer to the crossing, and this has to work."

Monty quickly obliged. "Alright, what you're going to do is really simple," he said. "You go up there like any ol' person traveling through to the great nation of Canada. I'm going to do most of the work. As soon as you're in the line, you let me know right before going through that you're coming up. Don't do it too soon because I need to get you through, and obviously don't do it too late, 'cause then you'll never get through."

"How long will I have?" Derek asked.

"A few minutes," Monty replied.

Derek had to suppress his howl of anger. "A few _minutes_?" he hissed. "That won't get me through! I'm gonna get caught! These crossings take forever, and I'm not exactly looking like an upstanding citizen at the moment. Hell, I haven't shaved in two fuckin' months!"

"Hey, I know I'm not Penelope when it comes to hacking, but this is going to work."

"Are you _sure_?"

"Think positive, Morgan," Monty instructed, his voice growing serious. "You gotta do that if you want to get Penelope, Dee, and Fox back."

He thought about it. Monty was right. He needed to believe in his abilities and his love for his family to get them back.

"Alright," he said. "Let's do this."

Half an hour later Derek was in the line to go through security. He sent a quick text to Monty, informing him he was the next car in line to go through.

 _Initiating now._

Derek inhaled and exhaled, attempting to keep his body language in control. He knew that even though these border guards weren't profilers, they were still trained to notice odd behavior. He couldn't afford to send up red flags that would give him away.

Soon enough, the car in front of him moved up and through the gate to enter Canada. Time to see if Monty would pull through for him. Rolling the window down, he looked up nonchalantly at the border guard.

"Morning, sir," the guard said, regarding Derek with caution. "What, uh, what brings you up to Canada?"

Derek nodded in greeting. He blurted out the first thing he could think of. "Just got divorced, so I'm headed up to get some poutine before flying out of Toronto International to go to Beijing to visit a friend."

"Came all this way for _poutine_?" the guard asked, incredulous. "No poutine down in the States."

Derek shot him a wry smile. "Also going up to visit a buddy. One from college. We played ball together."

The guard remained wary. After a moment, he stuck out his hand. "Got a passport I can see?"

Nodding, Derek reached into his pocket and presented the fake passport from his undercover assignment. "Got 'em right here," he said.

Accepting them, the guard went into the booth without a word and started typing the information into his computer. Derek waited with sweating palms, praying Monty's hacking skills would pull him through without a problem. The amount of time the guard was taking made him more anxious the connection would give out.

But apparently it held. The guard returned to Derek with the false passport. He frowned at Derek, but ended up waving him on through. "You're all set to go through, sir. Welcome to Canada."

Derek flashed the guard a smile. "Thanks, man," he said. He stepped on the gas, going through the gate.

He thought he was clear for a moment, and would sail through the border unhindered. But before he could get very far, a yelling broke out behind him.

"Hey! Hey, stop!"

Glancing in his mirrors, Derek saw the agent now pointing after him, a walkie-talkie in his hand that he barked something unintelligible into. Apparently Monty had lost the connection.

Without another thought, Derek stepped on the gas. Nothing mattered now except getting out of here and finding his family. He raced forward, swerving around any car obstructing his way through. The sounds of sirens blared through the area of the border crossing, a clear alert to any and all border agent they had a fugitive who was wanted by the FBI on their hands. Derek knew they would soon be after him, following close behind in cars.

He needed to hide, and fast, ditching this car for another one.

He drove. And drove. And he kept driving.

The speed he was going at took him far and many miles. There was no one on his trail, and he was unsure of why. Were they really so incompetent that they would not be able to find him? He supposed it didn't matter. It was perfect for him and his quest. He was far enough away from the border that he must have driven for hours.

Time to use a back road to think.

He took a sharp turn, going far too fast, though. With the icy February roads, and the brutal Canadian winter upon him, his tires slid wildly, and he lost control of the car. Panicking, he attempted to steer the vehicle to a stop.

But Derek's attempts were futile, and the car spun in a three sixty before flipping on its top into a ditch.

XXXXX

 _Quantico, VA_

JJ sat with Kate in the round table room, both of them stewing over how chummy Umber and Hanson were being with the New York agents. Their hatred for Derek and their jealousy about his accomplishments was clouding their profiling skills.

"We've got to do something," Kate muttered. "They can't actually _believe_ he did this."

"What the hell do you propose we do?" JJ snapped unintentionally. "What can we possibly do to stop these two from helping those bastards from New York?"

Kate fixed her with a look. "We've already made sure they stayed away from Monty," she said, "but you know they're going to catch on that we're finding any way to help him we can."

Frustrated, JJ rubbed her forehead. _Think, JJ, think!_ she told herself.

"What?" Kate demanded. "What's going on in your head? You've got something."

Before JJ could say anything, Hanson and the lead New York agent burst into the room, furious expressions on their faces. Hanson pointed directly at JJ and blared, "You! You let him get away from us!"

JJ arched a brow. "What are you accusing me of?"

"Morgan's alias was just spotted at the Canadian border!" he thundered. "He got away, and they haven't been able to locate him. The fact he was even able to get through means you all did something to fool the computer systems."

She scoffed, lying perfectly. "Please, Hanson," she snapped. "You know I can't figure out my way around complex computer systems. And how dare you accuse me of something like that?"

Hanson's face grew red. "Don't! You know what Morgan is up to, and you're helping him get away with murder."

JJ rose to her feet to face him, a fierce expresser on her face. "You're ignoring the simple fact that he's going to find his family! They're _missing_ , and that's the only reason I can think of that he would be running to Canada from accusations like these."

"We understand Agent Morgan's family is missing," the New York agent broke in, "but right now we have another team looking for them. Agent Morgan should have known that as a fugitive he wouldn't be able to go in search of his family. And he would also know, even if he _were_ innocent, that he wouldn't be able to go off on a chase on his own. Morgan is breaking every rule in the book."

"And why would Fuentes take them all the way to Canada?" Umber sniffed. "That's – "

Kate cut in, rising to her feet and shooting her colleague a frosty stare. "Completely logical. He would need to be out of the country to try and avoid being extradited back to the States for this violent crime. He knows we don't have enough to take him into custody for the drug charges. Canada would give him the place to keep and torture Penelope, Idina, and Fox. He's _going_ to kill them, and you're wasting the time we have to play in a pissing match with Derek while he's trying to save them!"

Hanson merely laughed. "You're off of this case," he said. "We're taking you into custody. You'll stay here until we figure out what we're going to do, and you will be charged with aiding a fugitive."

"You've got no evidence," JJ hissed.

The agents ignored her. "Stay here. We'll catch Morgan, soon enough."

Without another word, they didn't spare another glance at JJ or Kate and stormed from the room.

JJ and Kate didn't say a word. They merely shot one another a look, both knowing Derek needed to do this on his own now.


	11. Crawling Through Glass

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **At long last I've found some writing time in the middle of my crazy semester. Here's the next chapter of this story. Thank you so much for the reviews and support.**

 **Note: I'm currently super behind in replying to reviews. Expect those soon!**

 _Off the Hudson Bay – Ontario, Canada_

Hours in the cold had turned Penelope's limbs to ice. The only feeling in her arms she had came at her wrists from the fiery sting of the raw skin where the cable ties had torn into her. It didn't even register as pain. All that sting did was further her determination to free Idina and Fox. Primal instincts had taken over; the only thing driving her was the faint prospect of saving her children.

Penelope's mouth worked furiously as she attempted to spit out her gag once more. The flimsy piece of cloth Diego had inserted in her mouth wasn't placed very well, and she finally managed to spit the cloth out. The corners of her mouth felt raw and cracked. She took deep breaths, pulling in as much frigid air as possible. As she struggled to pull her wrists from the cable ties binding her, she pulled too hard. Pain shot through her broken skin, and warm blood trickled down her skin. She gasped sharply.

"Damn it," she hissed. In exasperation, she gave up trying to release her hands and instead used her shoulder to push her blindfold up so that she could see. The glare of the fluorescent lights blared into her gaze, burning her retinas. The agony of the light, coupled with the stinging of her unshed tears, ripped through her eyes. She squinted hard, trying to get a view of her children.

Fox lay slumped against his sister, sound asleep, with even breathing as he shivered every so often. She couldn't quite tell if Idina was awake or asleep; the girl remained unmoving as a mountain in a raging storm, staying close to her brother in a protective stance.

Coughing, Penelope gazed upon her children with a heavy heart. What could she do to help them not be afraid? Was there any way she could assure them of Derek finding them? She supposed as a mother it was fundamentally wrong to lie to her children, but sparing them from the truth that she didn't know whether Derek would rescue them seemed to be the only thing she could do.

"Dee?" she whispered with a hoarse voice. She tried to conceal the tears that leaked their way into her voice, but it became almost impossible to hide them. "Dee, are you awake?" She sniffled. "Just make a noise if you can hear me."

Idina was silent for a long, agonizing moment, before make a small grunt around the gag blocking her tongue.

Relief flooded through Penelope at being able to hear her daughter, even if it wasn't firm words.

Sniffling, Penelope tried to keep her voice steady so she could speak. "Baby, you need to listen to me," she murmured. "Nod if you can hear me, okay?"

Idina nodded slowly.

"I know it's cold, and I know…I know these men are terrifying," she started. Her voice shook, grappling for control. "But you need to know that your dad is –" She nearly choked on her voice. " – is coming for us. I know he is, because I know he would never let anything happen to you or Fox. He loves you both so much. You need to hear me when I say that, even if you don't believe it. Okay? You hear me? Your dad _loves_ you." Penelope bit her lip to keep from sobbing. She wished she could wipe her nose. "Nod if you heard me, Idina."

Penelope watched closely for any sign of acknowledgement that she heard her. Idina remained very still for a little while, but ultimately she nodded.

XXXXX

 _East of Toronto – Ontario, Canada_

 _Dad…_

Coughing, Derek's head tilted from side to side, as he tried to find the source of his daughter's voice. This had to be some sort of hallucination, but he swore he could hear Idina speaking to him.

 _Dad, help!_ her voice repeated

Shots of anxiety blinked through his body, and he tried desperately to find her.

"Dee?" he rasped, even though he knew what he was hearing was nothing but what he wanted to hear. He blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to view his surroundings. The light was falling from behind the broken windows. Tiny snowflakes trickled down from the sky, landing on the already icy road that the flipped car lay on.

Glass crunched as he sought to escape the confines of the car. He kept hearing Idina's voice in his head, fueling his quest to release from the car. His hand fought to release the seatbelt. Breathing became difficult. A fiery stinging broke out on his forehead, and a trickle of wetness slid down his face. It was almost certainly blood.

Once he released his seatbelt, he dropped from the seat onto the ceiling of the car. He landed with a _thud_ , glass from the broken window slicing into his hands and the cheek that fell on the ceiling. He gritted his teeth at the glass embedding in his jaw. Fighting the pain, he shuffled through the shards of glass on his forearms to slide out of the window.

"Dammit," he growled, more glass digging into his skin. He quickly slid his way out of the car and into the snow covered ground. The cool air bit into his skin, causing him to shiver. Blood from his cut hands stained the snow.

Derek looked back at the flipped car as he lay on the ground. His stomach dropped to the floor. He was in the middle of nowhere, somewhere east of Toronto, and he was a fugitive. What the hell was he going to do now?

Shakily, he got to his feet and stumbled forward with a slight limp. The only thing he could do was head down the road until he found another vehicle. His whole body was sore, and he was almost positive he had sprained his ankle, but he kept moving on. Somehow he was going to get to his family, one way or another.

As he trudged down the road, the snow continued to fall from the gray sky. A few cars sped by him, but none of them stopped for him. Derek rolled his eyes, frustrated when each of them went by him. Although the way he looked certainly made him understand why no one was picking him up.

A few miles down the road from where his car turned over, one of Derek's phones buzzed in his pocket. Reaching in, he found it was the phone given to him by Fuentes. Shivers spread through his body and he hurriedly opened the text. In it he found his next riddle.

 _The Discovery sailed in during 1610._

 _Comrades are no comrades when they leave you alone._

 _Henry was left in the cold, while they went after James._

 _You can't trust anyone, can you?_

Derek frowned at the text, tempted to throw the phone across the road. Why did these have to be a game for Fuentes? Why did he have to solve puzzles to get his family back? His fist curled around the phone, and the only thing that stopped him from crushing it in his hand was the sound of a car slowing down behind him. Turning, Derek saw the driver pull to a stop right behind him and motion for him to get in.

Shoving the phone back in his pocket, Derek hurried toward the door of the passenger side. He opened the door and got in with great difficulty. The soreness in his muscles and the cuts made him cringe, but he managed to sit down and shut the door.

"What happened to you?" the driver asked, looking at him with wide eyes. "You look like – "

Derek didn't bother to look at the driver. He just pointed down the road. "I need to get to the nearest hospital," he lied. "I was in a car crash."

Putting the car back into gear, the driver nodded. "Yeah, sure. It's only another fifty miles."

Fifty miles until Derek could call Reid. Fifty miles that felt like wasted time.

XXXXX

 _Quantico, Virginia_

JJ sat back in her chair in exasperation, waiting patiently for her son to arrive. She'd sent a twenty-two year old Henry a text, telling him to find Monty and ask him for an update on Derek's progress. Currently, she and Kate were still trapped in the round table room. Two agents had been stationed outside the doors to keep them in there, but hopefully they would let Henry in.

Soon enough, Henry appeared in the bullpen, his face worried as he hurried up to the entrance to the round table room.

"Let me in to see my mother!" Henry demanded from the other side of the door. His voice sounded muffled, but the second JJ heard him, she stood up. She couldn't make out what the agent was saying, but she heard Henry's louder response. "I can visit her, and you know it. Now let me in!"

There was a moment of silence between Henry and the agent, but then the door opened. Henry went in, a frantic look on his face.

"Mom!" he said, as if he'd run up every flight of stairs to find her. Using his foot, he slammed the door shut behind him. "Mom, are you okay?"

JJ smiled softly at him. She hugged Henry, and whispered in his ear, "I'm okay. But I need to know what Monty told you."

Henry pulled back, looking his mother in the eye. "He told me he hasn't heard anything new from Derek," he said, remorse clear in his expression. "I'm sorry, Mom. I don't know what else to tell you. He's trying to track his phone, but it looks like he's in a low reception area where the signal is harder to catch."

Kate huffed, rubbing her face. "This is not good."

Gulping, JJ faced both her son and her friend. With Monty unable to track Derek, there was no possible way they would have any idea of how to help the Morgan family.


	12. Grand Theft Auto

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Sorry again about the delay in releasing this. I'm having a really stressful semester, so writing time is hard to come by. I'm still absolutely in love with this story, so I have no plans to stop working on it. Thank you for the reviews; I appreciate it!**

 _Ontario, Canada_

"Stay here, I'll get someone to help you!" Jeremy, the man who had lifted Derek off the side of the road, told him. He hopped out of the vehicle and raced toward the small hospital's emergency wing.

Derek nodded weakly, his eyes fluttering. He waited until he heard the crunching of Jeremy's boots fade away to snap his eyes open. Ignoring the soreness in his muscles, he scooted over into the driver's seat. His traveling companion had been smart enough to take his keys with him, regardless of whether or not he thought Derek would actually have stolen his car.

It frustrated him that he didn't have the keys. He knew how to hotwire a car, but he really wasn't good at it. Taking several times to get it going for him was an understatement. And he didn't have time here to get it started before Jeremy returned. Cursing, he pushed out of the cab of the pickup and started to limp away. His whole body was definitely sore, but the whole plan had been to hitch a ride to somewhere he could steal a car.

As he disappeared within rows of cars at the hospital, he heard several people rushing out of the ER, presumably to find him.

"What?" Jeremy cried. "Wh – he was just here! I don't understand where he went."

Derek winced as Jeremy began to argue with the doctors from the emergency room. In ordinary circumstances he would feel bad for He didn't feel bad, though. He had a job to do.

Once he was far enough into the rows of cars, he knelt down so no one could see him. With his scrapped hands, he pulled his phone out to dial Reid.

He answered on the first ring. "Morgan?"

"Yeah, it's me, Kid," he said. "I've got the second riddle, and I'm stranded at some hospital until I find a car to steal."

"A hospital? What happened?" Reid squeaked.

Derek rolled his eyes. "My car flipped over after I got away from the border," he explained as quickly as he could. "But focus, Reid. I've got the next riddle for you:

 _The Discovery sailed in during 1610_

 _Comrades are no comrades when they leave you alone._

 _Henry was left in the cold, while they went after James._

 _You can't trust anyone, can you?_ "

Reid was silent for a moment, but Derek could nearly feel him thinking from across the ocean and the continent that separated them. Impatiently though, Derek snapped, "C'mon, genius! You need to tell me where I have to go next!"

"Okay, Hudson Bay," Reid said. "Sir Henry Hudson was sailing there in 1610 and when his crew mutinied, they left him stranded in the Bay. You need to go north."

Derek's stomach sank. He gulped. "How far north?" The Hudson Bay stretched hundreds of miles north, and if that was all he had to go off of his family was doomed.

"You're lucky," Reid said. "The part where he says 'James'? That's referring to the southern part of the bay where the crew that mutinied sailed to after abandoning Hudson."

That fact only made Derek feel slightly better. He still had no idea where _exactly_ he was going to find Fuentes.

"Thanks, Reid," Derek said, rising to his feet again. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest. "I've got to commit Grand Theft Auto now. I'll call you when I have the next one."

"I've got the phone by me for when you do," Reid promised before Derek hung up on him to find himself a car.

XXXXX

 _Off the Hudson Bay – Ontario, Canada_

While her children slept in the barn, both of them now leaning against her, Penelope allowed her thoughts to wander. She couldn't think about the present without feeling an overwhelming sense of dread, so she focused on the past. She'd tried focusing on releasing her hands from her bonds, but by now her wrists were so sliced up from the cable ties that they could hardly move.

All of her happiest memories included her children. She thought of their first steps, when they first started speaking. When Idina was a baby, Derek and Penelope had a running bet of what her first word would be. Derek had won by a landslide, with Idina's first word being his guess of _Dada_.

Tears filled her eyes as she thought of how happy Derek had been when they were married. She needed to hold onto those memories of him while she was stuck in this hellhole. Survival was dependent on staying strong for her children, and the only way she would keep her cool would be to remember when her family was whole.

So she allowed herself that freedom to fall back into a memory, blissful and away from the frigid barn.

" _You know I'm going to love you forever, right?" Derek murmured as they lay in the sheets of their bed. It was nothing but a random Saturday afternoon, and they were enjoying their time alone while their children were away at camp for the week._

 _Penelope snickered. "I vaguely remember us saying something like that when we were at that thing a long time ago," she said. "What was that called? A bar mitzvah?"_

" _Silly girl." Derek laughed and pulled her toward him. She giggled, swinging her leg up over his waist so she could start kissing up his chest. As she rocked her hips against his, he growled seductively. Shivers ran up and down her spine as he touched between her thighs. Ecstasy followed close behind, creating a sensation she never wanted to leave her body._

 _This was what happiness felt like. This was what she wanted to feel like everyday._

" _I'll love you forever, too," she whispered in his ear._

It wasn't until she realized how icy her cheeks were that Penelope was drawn out of her memory. Her tears felt extremely cold, and she sniffled, wishing she could wipe her nose. That alone thrust her back into reality, and she lost the delightful, warm feeling of being in Derek's arms in their sunlit bedroom.

She wanted to be out of here, she wanted her kids to be safe. But the sadism that clearly characterized Diablo Fuentes wasn't releasing them.

Looking down at her children, sleeping against her, she wished she could kiss the tops of their heads. She wished she could tell them it would be all right, but the truth was that she didn't know if it would be okay.

As time went on, dragging by to the point she thought an eon had passed, the dreaded sound of the door opening broke through her eardrums. She jumped, terrified of what was to come. Instinctually she wanted to shield her children from Fuentes and his goons.

Soon enough, they emerged from the shadows. She expected Fuentes to say something to her, but he didn't.

Instead, he pointed at her daughter.

"Diego, take the girl," he said. "Get her up."

Diego's eyes lit up in a malicious grin, and he licked his lips. Penelope couldn't resist the urge to gag. Instantly, she moved forward to try and stop the pedophile from harming Idina. She spit the cloth out of her mouth, not caring what would happen to her.

"Stay away from her!" she screamed. Her cry woke her children, making them jump awake. "Don't you dare touch her!" She wished her glare would halt Diego in his tracks, but she knew he wouldn't.

He didn't spare her a second glance as he knelt down to grab a confused Idina. Instantly her daughter began to panic, kicking out against Diego's grasp. Idina weighed one hundred pounds at most; Diego was twice her size.

Penelope fought to move closer, but Fuentes came toward her and used the toe of his foot to shove her backwards.

"I would just sit back if I were you, _chica_ ," he said, his voice sounding like slime in Penelope's ears. "We'll take amazing care of your little girl. After all, we have a job we need her to do for us…"

Idina screamed, her voice muffled by her gag so it didn't sound like it anything. As Penelope screamed for Diego to let her daughter go, Fuentes just laughed at her.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm still keeping my word to Derek: your beloved girl will be in one piece when we return."

And then they were gone, dragging Idina out to the sound of Penelope's sobs.


	13. The Drive North

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **AN: Thanks for the readership, everyone! I appreciate it :)**

 _Off of the Hudson Bay – Ontario, Canada_

"Put her there."

Idina shivered uncontrollably as one of the men who had taken her and her family shoved her into a chair. They'd clearly taken her inside somewhere; the warmth on her skin was something she hadn't felt in what seemed like forever.

"Take off her blindfold off and her gag."

Light blinded her as soon as the blindfold got torn from her eyes. She winced. Curling into the uncomfortable chair, she tried keeping herself as hidden from the man who had taken her, her mother, and Fox. Apparently this was the man who her father had been trying to put away.

She might have blamed Derek for getting them into something like this, but right now all she wanted nothing more than to have her dad there to protect them, to tell her it was going to be okay. She knew he would do it if she asked.

Right now Idina wished her dad was there. She wanted to tell him she loved him, that she was so wrong for treating him the way she had.

Why was it when people were so close to death they regretted their actions?

Diablo Fuentes stared at her for a moment before a malicious smile spread across his face.

"Hello, Miss Idina," he said. "I take it you're glad to be inside and warm for the moment?"

She stared at him, wide-eyed. Her mouth was sore from the gag, her wrists were raw from the cable ties, and she was scared to death of the rapist Diego who continued to leer at her.

"He's talking to you, girl," Diego hissed, getting closer to her. His eyes lit up, making her shrink even farther within herself. When he raised his hand as if to strike her, a sharp clearing of Fuentes' throat halted him.

"Remember, Diego," he said. "We gave our word this young lady would be returned to her mother unharmed. We have to keep that promise."

Gritting his teeth, Diego stared at Idina another moment longer before backing away as instructed. Idina shuddered, still feeling his eyes on her.

Fuentes moved to stand in front of her now, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now," he said. "I need your full cooperation."

She sneered at him, her anger starting to boil over. This man had taken them and beaten her mother; she didn't want to give him the time of day, much less her cooperation. "Why would I do anything for you?" she said. "I don't owe you shit!"

"You've got your father's resilience, I'll give you that," he said, chuckling slightly. "I never saw the man break once when I thought he was my loyal drug runner."

Idina narrowed her eyes. "I'm not doing anything you tell me to."

Fuentes moved forward to squat in front of her. He moved a lock of her messy hair behind her ear, making her shudder with disgust.

"I think you'll want to," he said. "Because you know what I can do to your family. I can have my men torture your whole family. I don't think you want them doing that to your little brother. Can you imagine Garrett taking a red hot poker and burning him? Little Fox? I really don't think he'd be able to handle it."

Idina's rage boiled over and she spat in Fuentes' face. "Stay the fuck away from my brother. You want to hurt someone, you hurt me!"

Fuentes wiped the spittle from his face, unfazed by what she had done. "You know why I would never do it to you," he said. "You would be able to take it, just like Derek. But your little brother? He'd break from fear."

Her blood ran cold all of the sudden at the thought of them torturing her brother. The look in Fuentes' eyes told her he would indeed hurt her little brother, and he wouldn't be able to handle it. All his screams would do was amuse their captors.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, her voice growing quiet.

Fuentes produced a cellphone from his pocket and held it up to her face. "You're going to deliver a message to your father. You're going to do exactly what I tell you. You'll do it, or I'll set Garrett lose on your baby brother."

Tears filled Idina's eyes at the thought of it and nodded. Maybe hearing her father's voice would give her strength of some sort.

"I'll do it," she said, nodding. "What do you want me to say?"

XXXXX

 _Central Ontario, Canada_

After hotwiring a car, Derek managed to get on the highway with no problems. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, keeping him alert and oriented so he could find his way toward the Hudson Bay. As he made his way up through the Canadian wilderness, his focused on keeping his heart rate steady. He needed to stay focused if he wanted to find his family.

Panicking would not help him. Panicking would not help his family.

He inhaled and exhaled as evenly as he could, hoping he would keep calm enough to avoid any authorities that might have been lurking on the highway. Every second that inched by, though, was another second wasted. Time was running out, and he was only halfway there.

As he sped down the highway, the phone from Fuentes rang. Startled, he frantically pulled the phone out and answered hurriedly.

"Fuentes, you bastard!" he said through gritted teeth. "You better not have hurt Penelope or my children!"

But it wasn't Fuentes who answered the phone.

" _Dad_?" a voice whimpered.

Derek's gut dropped. "Dee?" he choked out. "Idina, is that you?"

" _I – I have a message for you,_ " she said. " _Di – Diablo Fuentes said I have to tell you…_ " Her voice trailed off as her voice dissolved into sobs.

Another voice broke in, fainter than Idina's. " _Tell him!_ " Derek couldn't discern whose voice it was, but his rage started to grow.

" _He said I have to tell you that if – if I don't tell you what he wants me to, he's going to hurt Fox!_ " she said in a voice thick with tears.

Derek unconsciously stepped on the gas, wanting to get there before anyone could harm his children.

"Idina, Idina, listen to me!" he said.

" _He said to tell you that if you don't – if you don't get here soon, he's going to – he's going to have Garrett torture Fox. And – and he's going to –_ " Her voice cut off, giving way to sobs.

Derek could hear the waves of tears streaming down her face, could almost see it in his mind's eye. The idea of Garrett going anywhere near his son was enough to make his own eyes burn. He'd seen firsthand what the man had done to torture others.

"Idina, Baby," he said in a choked voice. "Idina, I'm coming for you. I'll –"

" _And he's going to hurt, Mom!"_ she cried in a shrill voice. " _He said he's going to do horrible things to her._ "

His hand tightened around the steering wheel at the thought of Fuentes getting anywhere near Penelope. He felt physically ill, stepping on the gas even harder.

"I'm coming to get you, Dee," he said. "I'm going to get you and your brother and your mom. I promise you, I'll be there!"

Idina's voice rose to a scream. " _He's keeping us somewhere in a barn! He's already –_ "

Before she finished, the sound of a crash came over the line. Idina let out another scream amidst the struggle and Derek's gut dropped. His heart rose into his throat, choking him until he could hardly breathe.

"Dee?" he said, frantic. "Idina, say something!"

"Idina can't talk anymore." Fuentes' voice slithered into his ears, insidious to the point it made his spine tingle. Slamming on his breaks, he pulled off to the side of the road, knowing that if he didn't the car was going to go off the road again. And he didn't think he would be able to get lucky enough to find a ride somewhere and get another car hotwired in time to save Penelope and their children.

"Fuentes, you son of a bitch!" Derek hollered, pounding his fist against the steering wheel as soon as he stopped. "Don't you dare hurt my daughter! If you touch her, my son, or Penelope, I'll put a bullet in your skull. You hear me? A bullet in your fucking brain!"

The drug lord merely chuckled. "I think your wife and I are getting to know each other quite well. She's willing to do anything to keep me from touching those children of yours. Tell me, did you know she's still in love with you? She's tried assuring me you two aren't married, but I can see what's in her eyes. I wonder if I'll see it when I'm killing her."

Derek gritted his teeth. "Stay away from her," he growled.

"You bring me my money before the clock is up, and I'll stay as far away from your beloved Penelope and children," Fuentes said. "You know how this will work."

"I don't have your God damn money!" Derek shouted. His desperation was growing, making his voice hoarse.

"I'll see you at the Gateway to the Arctic," Fuentes said. "You'll find your way to me at the RCAF. Be there on time with my money, or I'll make Penelope watch as I kill your children."

Then Fuentes hung up, leaving Derek tense and anxious on the side of the road. In frustration, he hurled the phone across the car before stepping on the gas and racing on ahead north.


	14. Threats

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hi, all! Here is the next one of this story. The next one is where it's really going to get tense and the shit really goes down! Bear with me for this last build-up chapter. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed!**

 _Ontario, Canada_

"Reid? Reid, you there?" Derek hollered into his phone as he drove farther north into the Canadian wilderness. He needed to find where this "Gateway to the Arctic" was. He didn't trust Fuentes to not act before the supposed deadline.

Reid's voice crackled over the line, but it was muffled. "Morgan, I can hear you, but not well," he said. "What's going on? That next riddle came faster than the first ones."

"Where's the Gateway to the Arctic?" Derek demanded as he swerved around a car in front of him. The sun was starting to set on his left, and he needed to go faster. He'd lost track of how far he had to go until he reached the Hudson Bay.

"Well, the city of Moosonee off the James Bay is commonly called the Gateway to the Arctic," Reid answered. "I…fur trading…something like…"

Derek frowned. "I can't hear you," he said, angrily. "Moosonee? What about the RCAF? Does that have anything to do with – "

"Hang on while I look that up," he said. "RCAF stands for the Royal Canadian Air Force, but I don't know…what…if it's got…"

Looking at his phone, Derek saw how little reception he had. His battery was also running low.

"God damn it," he snapped. "Just last a little longer."

"…you there?"

Derek hurriedly put the phone back to his ear. "Reid?" he said. "Reid, say something!"

But he heard nothing. The line had gone dead. When he pulled the phone away from his ear yet again, he saw that he had lost service completely. Cursing loudly, he set the phone down and stepped on the gas once more.

He groaned, thinking how he was lucky to even have the name of the city he needed to go to. Without another thought, he drove on along the snow-covered landscape.

XXXXX

 _Diablo Fuentes' Hideout – Ontario, Canada_

Idina squirmed in her seat, grateful they had needed to cut the cable ties on around her ankles; she could finally feel her legs again.

Diego sat on the other side of the room, staring at her intently as he sharpened his knife. She saw the leer in his eye. A shiver shot up her spine.

"Why are you glaring at me, girl?" he asked, a devilish grin lighting up his face. "What did I ever do to you?"

She shifted in her seat, making sure her face looked exactly like her father's when he was pissed off. "You kidnapped my family," she said. "You're threatening to kill my mother and my brother. You're threatening to rape and murder me." She huffed. "You wanna take a guess at what I'm pissed about? Just take your pick."

Diego laughed, rising to his feet. "You're very funny, Miss Idina," he said. "You look almost exactly like your father, you act almost exactly like him…but you hate him."

"I don't hate him," Idina said, even though she'd spent the last few years of her life telling herself she needed to hate him.

He went to stand in front of her, squatting down so he could be at her eye level. Tilting his head to the side, he chuckled. "You want to, though," he said. "That's got to be a funny thing, _wanting_ to hate the man who raised you. Tell me, was it because he spent more time chasing serial killers than paying attention to you and your beautiful family?"

"Why the hell do you care?" she hissed. "You're going to do whatever sick bullshit you do to your victims, whether or not I tell you my life story."

Shrugging, Diego pulled his knife out once more and started picking at his nails with it. "Deflecting won't help you get away from me," he said. "Fuentes has me watching you, and I'm allowed to torture you in any way that doesn't leave a mark on you."

Idina shook with rage. "I don't have to answer you."

"True, but I can question you until I push the right buttons," he said. "Isn't that what profilers like your daddy dearest do to get the answers they want?"

"You'll see what profilers like my dad do when he gets ahold of you," she said. "When he finds you, you're going to wish you'd never been born."

Diego merely chuckled. With the razor sharp tip of his blade, he poked her sternum. She glared at him, unblinking as he trailed the knife up to her neck. He ran it from one side of her neck to the other.

"I'm going to enjoy slicing through your pretty neck," he said, grinning at her. A malicious glint twinkled in his eyes.

Idina kept her gaze even with Diego's. "You won't get to," she said with shaky confidence. "My dad is coming."

"Oh, I have no doubt he'll make it here," Diego said. "But you see, he's not going to get you back. He'll be outnumbered, and I know for a fact he doesn't have the money Fuentes is looking for."

Idina's face drained of blood.

He tapped her nose with the razor tip of his blade. "See, I got tired of being kicked around like a dog by Diablo Fuentes. So I took the million dollars your _padre_ was supposed to pick up and made it look like he took it. Your daddy dearest is going to get here, and you're all going to die. He'll be left all alone with nothing but his failure and heartache to keep him company."

"You're wrong," she said. She couldn't stop her voice from quivering, though. The cool steel of the knife now slid up down her cheek. All she could do was force herself to think of her mother's words.

 _Dad's coming_ , she repeated over and over in her head. _He's coming._

Shaking his head, he chuckled. "I've seen enough girls with the same fear in their eyes to know that you're having doubts," he said.

Idina knew he wasn't lying to scare her; he was telling the truth to petrify her. She had to force herself to be brave, to be like her father, but she kept grasping for it in the dark depths of her mind. She squared her jaw at Diego, not speaking. He may have thought she acted like Derek, but she didn't feel much like him right now.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he said. "I bet when the time comes for Garret to torture your baby brother's screams will make you decide to be a bit stronger."

XXXXX

 _Outside of Moosonee – Ontario, Canada_

Over twenty hours had passed since Derek last made contact with Reid, and there was no hope of getting ahold of him again. His phone was dead after the constant use of it over the past twenty-four hours. Time was ticking, and he had only just arrived at the city of Moosonee.

Fuentes had said he would see him at the Gateway to the Arctic, and here he was.

Only problem was he had no idea at all where he was supposed to go.

Despite his nonstop driving, with stops only to refill his gas tank, Derek had no plan of how he was going to find this RCAF Fuentes had mentioned.

As he neared civilization once more, still no sign of authorities on his tail, his mind raced with thoughts of his family. Idina's voice sounded terrified when she had spoken to him. He had felt her fear and it chilled her to the bone. It mad it worse to know what would happen to them if he failed.

Fuentes spared no victim. He tortured men to the point they wished for death. He allowed his drug runners to rape women. There was nothing that would save Penelope and their children from that same treatment.

Shaking his head, Derek forced himself to think of nothing but saving them. To do that, he needed to find the next clue. He saw what looked like a small general store up ahead, the lights from it shining down the road in the distance.

Who better to ask than a local who would know the area?

When he walked into the building, he found it was not a store, but rather a bar. A few men mingled around in the smoky bar, drinking beers and talking in hushed tones. Derek limped over to the bar and tried to flag down the bartender.

"What the hell happened to you, mate?" one of the bar patrons asked him, turning to face Derek.

Derek ignored the question, but he knew if he didn't ask someone he would never find Fuentes.

"Can you tell me where to find the RCAF station here?" he asked. He saw the amused look on the man's face and shook his head, ready to beg on his knees to get an answer. "Please. It's important."

"Why?" the man asked, sipping his beer and stamping out the butt of his cigarette into an ashtray.

Gritting his teeth, Derek lost control of his emotions and stalked toward the man. He grabbed him by the jacket collar and glared at him with what he hoped would be the most fury the bar goer had ever seen.

"That's my business, and if you know you'd better tell me." His voice came out in a fierce growl.

Derek's picture got across to him because his eyes went wide and he began to stutter. Silence fell over the bar as people watched with tense muscles.

"I – it's the old Canadian Forces Station," he stuttered. "Radar station, closed in the seventies. It's in pretty shit condition."

"How do I get there?"

The bartender cleared his throat from behind the bar. "We don't want any trouble," he said, his voice shaky. When Derek's eyes flicked over to him, he saw the unease in his eyes. It echoed the fear in his customers' eyes. Derek knew he was a frightening sight to see, but he didn't care. "It's up the road if you keep following it up to the river. Just leave."

Releasing the man's collar, Derek nodded to the bartender. He didn't care how it looked that he came in to threaten these men, but right now he had to get up the road before the Canadian police were called to stop him.


	15. Gunshots

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hey, all! So my semester is wrapping up, and this summer I'm hoping to get a lot of writing done. I've got a few ideas in store (one that's gonna take place several years after Shemar's exit from the show, an AU where our favorite duo are former high school sweethearts, and a smutty oneshot for CeeCee333 because I promised it to her awhile ago!) so hopefully you'll stick around to see some of the stories that I'm super excited about :D But for now, here is this chapter. Thanks so much for reviewing!**

 _CFS Moosonee – Ontario, Canada_

Derek pulled up to the abandoned Canadian Forces Station as the snow began to fall again. Thick white flakes landed on his head as he shut the door of his car. The snow-covered pine trees rustled in the wind. He shivered in the frigid wind, knowing his whole family was trapped in this cold. He needed to get them out of this.

He hurried up to the first door he could find that would get him inside. He came to an old service door, the front of it rusted over.

Within moments of fiddling with the knob, Derek finally kicked it in. He groaned at the force needed to get it open. Age was getting to him.

When he got inside, the temperature felt colder than even the air outside. Every breath he took produced a cloud. His hands felt frozen as he used the wall to guide himself through the dimly lit hallway. He had no idea where he would find a clue to where to find his family, but he knew he didn't have long to search the building.

 _I'm coming, Penelope_ , he thought, stumbling his way through the hall over everything strewn around on the floor so he could find whatever clue there was to find his family.

XXXXX

 _Diablo Fuentes' Hideout – Ontario, Canada_

"Tell me about the scars on your arms," Diego said, continuing to sharpen his knife.

Idina glared at her captor. It had been hours since she'd seen her mother and brother, and right about now she was getting pissed. Diablo Fuentes had not been around, either. She was being left alone with the pedophile, a tactic she was despising. She would take the viper that Fuentes reminded her of over Diego any day.

"Did you hear me?" He cackled. "Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you heard me! We're the only two in the room after all."

She glared at him, but still didn't respond. He was trying to get to her. She had no intention of letting him.

Diego laughed as he watched her shift in her seat. "You did it to yourself," he said. "You've got more daddy issues than one might realize at first. You don't just hate your father: you hate yourself. You wish everything would go away, but did you ever stop to think that maybe that's what makes you so much like him?"

Idina rolled her eyes. "Everyone tells me I'm like my dad," she said. "You're hardly original if you think that you're telling me something groundbreaking."

He chuckled. "I've seen that same look in his eyes that you have right now," Diego said. "You're looking at me with that same fleck of hatred he looked at me with when I would talk about all my girls and what I did to them before killing them."

"I'm pretty sure anyone who has a conscience would look at you with hatred," Idina said coolly.

Diego started to laugh harder. "You even talk exactly like him," he said. "You can't see what's right in front of you." Snapping his fingers, he pointed at her, as if he'd come to a wild conclusion he needed to share. "Do you think you're cutting him when you're cutting into your arms like that? Do you think you're hurting _him_ when you do that to yourself?"

Tears burned at the back of Idina's eyes as she stared at Diego. His words forced her to confront everything she had been denying. Diego, the sociopath that he was, knew what he was doing. He knew she would break eventually.

She threw a dirty stare in his direction. "Shut up," she hissed.

Diego laughed, rising from his seat once more to cross the room to her. He'd been doing that for the past few hours. Going right up to her, taunting her, and then crossing away to his seat once more. She had nowhere to move to, leaving her no defense against him apart from her withering stare.

"I'll give Fuentes this: he does let me do what I do best," Diego said. "It's nice to have these little chats with people like you before we kill you. Makes me feel closer to you, like we've got a bond."

"We don't have _anything_ like a bond," Idina said. "Nothing."

Diego laughed. "Sooner or later you'll realize that we have a bond," she said. "Maybe in two minutes, maybe right before I kill you. But you'll realize there's something."

Idina shook her head. "Even if I feel something like that, I'd never tell you. I'm not giving you that power over me."

"Of course you won't," he laughed. "I'd expect nothing less from _his_ daughter. But you're forgetting, that even if you don't say anything, I'll _see._ It's what I do."

Before Idina could shoot another snappy retort at him, the door opened to reveal Diablo Fuentes. He smirked at her.

"I do hope he's treating you well in here, Miss Morgan," he said. "I would be remiss if I had to break my promise to your lovely mother to have him keep his hands off of you."

Diego shrugged. "You know me, boss," he said. "I always give the ladies the best treatment possible."

Fuentes rolled his eyes. "Get back out there with Garrett," he said. "I'd like to spend some quality time with Idina. We've got some things to talk about."

Rising from his seat, Diego nodded. "Sure thing, boss." He sheathed his knife in his belt before going past Idina toward the door. He ran his hand over her shoulder, causing her to shudder uncontrollably. Even just a speck of dust from his hand was enough to make her want to vomit.

As soon as Diego had left the room, it was just Idina and Fuentes alone in the room. She glared at him. "What do _you_ want?" she grumbled.

"I came to see how you were doing in here," he said simply. He sat in the chair opposite her where Diego had once occupied. "I know Diego can be a lot to swallow." He flashed her a grin, as if to try and give her a sense of security.

"Bullshit," she muttered. "You don't give a shit about me at all."

Fuentes shrugged. "Now what would give you an idea like that?" he asked. "You're more valuable to me than you know, Miss Morgan." He glanced at his watch, clucking his tongue in the process. "Although the amount of time you'll be valuable to me is running out of time…and fast."

"He'll be here," Idina said, sticking her chin out. She'd heard her father's voice when they spoke on the phone. He hadn't lied when he said he would be there for them.

"I would be to differ," he said. "You see, I tried calling your father just before coming in. I got no response. You know what that means, don't you?" She didn't reply. "It probably means your father has been caught or something happened to him. He never ignores a phone call from me."

Idina squared her jaw. "Or it means that he's already here and doesn't want you to know," she said. "Maybe he's closer than you realize."

Fuentes shook his head and chuckled. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "He's got half an hour to show up, then I'm turning Diego loose on you."

XXXXX

 _Off the Hudson Bay – Ontario, Canada_

Penelope struggled against the cable ties binding her wrists, not caring anymore that the cold plastic was scratching her wrists to shreds. She shook her head wildly, knowing it was useless to try and free herself. It was virtually impossible to get out of these.

She let out a frustrated cry, knowing there was no way to help Idina if she was trapped in the barn. Sticky tears clung to her face as she wriggled on the ground. From a few feet away, Fox whimpered on the ground. Spitting her gag out, Penelope fought to sit upright. She tried with all her might to rise to her feet, but with cable ties holding her ankles together it made it impossible.

With each kick of her legs, her body rattled the wall of the barn. Her heart pounded in her ears. She let out a scream of frustration, trying her hardest to calm herself enough that she could think rationally.

But rationale failed her. She couldn't clear her head of the fog clouding her brain. Diego had her daughter. Diego the pedophile, the scumbag. There was no way she could think straight.

Before she could let out another cry of anguish and anger, the door to the barn slid open. A gust of bone-chilling air pierced through her skin, and she glared at the two captors. She was utterly surprised to see Diego. He wasn't torturing Idina?

"Where's my daughter?" she screamed. "What did you do to her?"

Diego didn't say anything, though. Instead, he looked panicked, like something was wrong and had shaken him to his core.

Throwing herself forward, Penelope glared at him viciously. She wished she could launch herself at him to attack him, but in her state she was nowhere near able to get near him.

Holding up his knife, Diego raised it to strike against her. The cold steel slashed against her cheek, hot blood trickling down her face. She didn't feel the pain; all she felt was rage.

That was when she heard the gunshots ringing through the raging wind.


	16. Rescue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **My apologies on the delay! Finals have been in swing, and that meant papers for me. Thank you very much for your patience, and I'll be sending review responses shortly :)**

 _Off the Hudson Bay – Ontario, Canada_

Derek trekked through the snow, his gun drawn. After finding the coordinates attached to a dead man in the abandoned CFS station, he sped his way over. The roads were treacherous as his stolen car skidded across the road, but that didn't matter to him. He needed to get to the location before the time ran out.

By the time he found where he was supposed to go, he had seven minutes.

Fuentes' location was not far from the station, but he knew he couldn't simply walk in and take his family. Not when he didn't have the money. So he drove until he found the fresh tire tracks of the off-road driveway that led to his family, then he abandoned the car. The BAU had trained him well for improvisation, and this plan would be all that.

Snow filled his shoes, but he felt nothing save for the fiery ache of urgency. Darkness had started to fall around him as he slid silently through the trees. Up ahead, he made out the end of the tree line that revealed an empty lot. He halted behind the trunk of a large tree that gave him an unobstructed view of Diablo Fuentes' hideout.

Howling winds bit his ears and skin alike. His view of the lot was a good one, but that would not last for long. Soon, all he would have was the flickering light outside the barn Idina had mentioned in their brief phone call and the dim lights from the smaller structure hundred yards away from the barn. Two Range Rovers were parked outside the barn.

"When's Fuentes gonna give the order?" a voice hollered through the darkness. "The time's up, and it's fuckin' cold. I'm ready to be done with this shit, _and_ that bitch's screaming."

Derek didn't recognize the voice, but he knew the one that answered.

"He'll give it when he gives it," Garrett called back.

Up ahead of him, Derek saw Garrett come under the light of the barn. One arm was raised in front of his face to block the snow.

Rage boiled in Derek's veins at the sight of them. It was just a matter of moments before Fuentes came out and told them to go into the barn and kill Penelope and the children. But he was unsure of how to get across the yard without being seen. He couldn't very well fire from the tree line. It provided cover, but he was too far away and didn't have enough ammo to afford any misses.

As his mind raced with options for how he could release his family, a terror-laced scream broke out from the barn. His skin crawled. The sound was faint, but there was no one it could be other than Penelope.

"Argh! I'm going to check with the boss to see if we can kill the woman," the one Derek didn't know hollered to Garrett. "Go see if you can shut the bitch up until then. I can't take the screaming."

Derek watched carefully as Garrett stalked closer to the other man. With them being closer to each other, there was no need to yell and Derek could no longer hear what they were saying. Something said didn't resonate with the other man, and Garrett gave him a shove before stomping in the house. The other man started to trudge back toward the barn, angry at what had transpired.

He couldn't take any more chances. Derek broke out from the trees and started to dash across the snow covered ground. The other man had not seen him yet, and Derek thought he might make it to take him out. Before he made it to the side of the barn, he heard the door to the small house open once more, revealing not just Garrett, but Diego as well. Hurriedly, he dove beneath the closest Range Rover, flinching as his already frozen hands hit the frigid ground with a fierce sting. He gritted his teeth, but rose so he was now squatting.

"He'll let me have her when we've taken care of the mother and boy," Diego said. Derek could hear him more clearly now, even with the wind. "I'm _going_ to have that girl!"

"Focus," Garrett snapped. "We've got a job to do."

Diego cackled. "The only job I care about is ruining Derek Morgan's daughter before I kill her," he said.

Derek couldn't hear it any longer. His adrenaline kicked in, and he peered out from behind the back wheels of the SUV. Drawing his gun, he fired it as a gust of wind blew, fierce and powerful as a hurricane ripped through the air. The sound of the gunshot was lost in the sound of the wind, and its trajectory was disrupted, missing the desired target of Diego's chest and getting blown into the shoulder of the man Derek did not know.

The man howled in agony, causing Garrett and Diego to react by whipping around wildly. Diego, coward that he was, darted forward, shoving both his associates out of the way as he pushed himself into the barn.

Derek's goal became clear: he needed to get into that barn.

Jumping to his feet, Derek revealed himself from behind the Range Rover and lifted his gun to aim at Garrett. "You better not have hurt my son, you bastard!" Derek bellowed, pulling the trigger again. The wind ruined his aim again, though. Thankfully, his shot landed in the unknown man once again, dropping him. The luck was too perfect, but he would take it, no matter how out of the ordinary it was.

Garrett raised his gun as well, aiming it right at Derek as well. He shot him a toothy grin.

"You have no idea how we have tortured them," he shouted back. "They're traumatized, and there's not way you can help them!"

Full of rage, Derek barreled toward Garrett, running straight into the gun. He tackled him to the ground. Raising his fist, he slammed it into Garrett's nose. His hand came away covered in crimson.

"You're dead!" he said, knowing his voice was not going to be heard over the wind this time. But he didn't care. All he could do was shove his gun into Garrett's sternum. But nothing stopped Garrett's free arm from raising his gun again. He shoved it into Derek's shoulder socket and fired.

There was no wind to stop this bullet from not hitting its target. A searing pain lit up in Derek's shoulder as it tore through his joints. Thankfully it was the opposite arm he held his gun with. He grimaced, flying backwards into the snow. Garrett scrambled to aim at him again, but Derek managed to swing his leg up and kicked the other man's arm. The toe of his boot jammed into the other man's elbow. A howl escaped Garrett's lips, and he dropped the gun. He clutched his arm to his chest. Derek must have broken the other man's elbow. Pulling himself upward, while ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he fired once again.

This time the bullet met its mark, burrowing its way into Garrett's sternum.

Breathing hard, Derek rose to his feet. He shook unsteadily, but stumbled his way past the dead bodies and toward the barn. The door was heavy, but he managed to pull it open and stumble inside. The lights blinded him, bright fluorescent that were meant to keep victims awake. When he entered, he saw Penelope and Fox across the space. Diego was bent over Penelope, his knife against her throat.

"Step the fuck away!" Derek shouted, raising his gun to aim at Diego. Whirling around, Diego grabbed Penelope by the hair and pulled her upward. He pressed the knife to her throat.

Penelope stared wide-eyed at him. "Derek!" she cried.

Keeping his gun steady, Derek readied himself to fire. His eyes bored into Diego's. "Let her go," he growled. "If you don't, your brain is going to sport a bullet."

Diego laughed maniacally. "You lower that gun, or I slice your woman's throat. I won't even flinch. I may not get to slice up your daughter, but I will cut up _Penelope_."

Tears streamed down Penelope's cheeks. She shook her head. "Don't do it," she whimpered. "Don't put the gun down. Idina and Fox are all that matter!"

Derek's heart split in two as his eyes shot to hers. Did she really think he was going to let anything to happen to her? There was no way he was losing her. He shook his head. "No," he whispered. Holding up his hands, he glanced back at Diego. Slowly he knelt down and laid the gun on the ground. He winced as his shoulder burned and throbbed as he rose upwards. "I put it down. Let her go."

Diego cackled, keeping the knife at Penelope's throat. He applied more pressure, drops of blood trickling down her neck. She winced "Kick the gun to me," he ordered. "I'm getting out of here… _with_ the million dollars I stole from Fuentes."

"I did what you said," Derek said. "Let her go. I'll get on my knees and beg if that's what you want."

"Derek," Penelope pleaded. "No!"

Diego leaned in and ran his tongue over Penelope's ear. Rage boiled through Derek, but Diego eventually laughed and threw her down so she landed with a thud on the frozen ground. Slowly, he stalked toward Derek and picked up the gun. He turned and pointed it at Fox.

"No!" Derek shouted. Fox shook with fear, crying against the gag.

"I like the idea of you begging," Diego said, chuckling. He didn't take his eyes or his gun off Fox. "Get on your knees, Derek Morgan. Beg for your family's life."

Dropping to the ground, Derek stared up at Diego with hate radiating from his eyes. "You're going to regret ever touching my family," he hissed up at him.

"You really think so?" Diego said, a slight twinge of amusement in his voice.

Derek nodded. "Yeah. I do."

Then he barreled forward, his shoulder flaring with pain. He grabbed Diego around the legs, toppling him over. He tackled him to the ground, raising his good arm to land a punch on his face. The gun flew across the barn. The two men had nothing but their fists. Derek planned to use every ounce of energy in his good arm to pummel the life out of Diego.

"No one touches my family and gets away with it!" he hollered, his wrath driving every punch he landed. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. Diego hardly had a chance to fight back. Every second Derek overpowered him. He had the advantage of anger. Nothing was going to stop him, even if it drove him to beating a man to death. Nothing mattered but revenge.

Diego's legs kicked out, and he managed to shove Derek's injured shoulder hard enough that he howled in pain. He fell backwards, groaning as his shoulder throbbed even harder. The blood-covered face of Diego loomed over Derek's, and he flipped his knife open as he stood over him.

"You're done," Diego snarled.

Without a word, Derek rolled away from Diego before the downward strike hit. The knife grazed his bicep, but he didn't feel the pain. Raising his good arm, he grabbed Diego's wrist and twisted. The knife dropped to the ground as Diego gasped in pain. Jumping up, Derek took the knife and jammed it into the side of his neck. Diego's eyes went wide, and he grasped at his throat. Blood leaked through his fingers, but he fell over to the ground, dead.

Breathing heavily, Derek stumbled to his feet. Across the room he could hear the sobbing of Penelope, and he gripped the knife in his hand. He coughed as he knelt beside her, using the knife to cut the cable ties holding her hands and feet together. He moved to Fox and did the same.

"Dad!" Fox cried as he pulled the gag from his mouth.

"It's alright. I've got you." After shoving the knife into his boot, Derek pulled Fox into his good arm, holding him tight. Pulling away, he looked him over carefully, hoping there were no injuries on him. His eyes pricked with tears, but he couldn't feel relief, not until he found Idina. Looking away from his son, he pulled Penelope toward him, hugging her with one arm. She sobbed into his neck. She held him too tightly, and he groaned as she leaned into his injured shoulder.

"You're hurt," she said, seeing the blood leaking from his shoulder.

He cupped the side of her face, forcing her to look in his eyes and not at his shoulder. "Where did he take Idina?" he asked.

Penelope choked on a cry, moving to pull Fox into her arms. She shook uncontrollably. "I – I don't know!" she wept. "I haven't seen anything outside the barn. He took her hours ago. You have to find her, Derek!"

Kissing her forehead hastily, he rose to his feet. "There are two cars out front. See if you can find a way to call for help. I'm going to get Dee."

Penelope nodded, kissing the top of Fox's head. "Find her!"

"I will."

Derek left them, picking his gun up on the way out the barn door. He looked up at the sky. It was quickly darkening, the sky now reminiscent of a dark gray. The bodies of Garrett and the man whose name he did not know lay in the snow. Crimson outlined the parts of their bodies where they'd been shot. Both cars were still in the lot, surprising Derek. Did Fuentes want the money he thought he had so bad he would be willing to stay?

He had no time to ponder the inner workings of the drug lord's mind, though. Going forward, he checked the clip of his gun. He cursed. He had only two bullets left.

With no sign of Fuentes anywhere, Derek went up the two wooden steps into the small house. It was more of a shack, not more than one archway into another room. As he scanned the modest room, his gun still raised, his shoulder started to throb even more. Dizziness struck him all at once, a wave of nausea rolling through his gut. Blood loss started to affect him.

Fighting through the rolling in his gut, Derek went through the one doorway into a small kitchen. One light hung above a table, another flickered above the small excuse for a sink. Everything remained still and silent.

The next step he took creaked on the old wooden floors, and he closed his eyes. He should have stepped more carefully.

"Hello?" a voice called. Tears filled the girls voice. "Is someone there?"

Derek almost dropped the gun, but he rushed through the next door. He nearly knocked the door off its hinges, but when he entered the room, he found Idina perched on a chair. Her arms and legs were tied together by cable ties, just like Penelope and Fox's had been.

Fuentes was nowhere to be found.

Idina's face broke. " _Dad_!" she cried.

Forgetting every ounce of training he had ever been taught, he shoved his gun into the back of his jeans. He ran forward, pulling the pocketknife that still had Diego's blood on it from his boot and sliced through the cable ties. The moment Idina was free, she threw her arms around Derek's neck. Thick sobs, unlike anything Derek had heard from her, poured from her throat. Closing his eyes, he almost forgot where they were as he wrapped his arm around her. He didn't even feel the pain anymore.

Tears poured from her eyes and leaked onto his neck. "You found us!"

He kissed the side of her head. "Hey," he said. "I said I would, didn't I?" Pulling back, he looked her right in the eye. "Dee, where's Fuentes? Where did he go?"

Idina stared back at him with red-rimmed, watery eyes. She shook her head. "I – I don't know," she sputtered. "When we heard the gunshots, he just laughed and walked out of the room."

 _Probably ran off like the snake he is_ , Derek thought.

"We've got to get out of here," he said, cupping her cheek as she wept. She stared at her lap as he tried to get her took at him. "Your mom and Fox are trying to get one of the cars started. We have to get you to the hospital."

Hearing him mention her mother and brother seemed to shake her out of her trance. She lifted her head, her lower lip still trembling. Before Idina could respond though, her eyes grew wide. She raised a shaking hand toward the doorway. "Look out!" she screamed.

Whipping around, Derek found Diablo Fuentes stalking toward him.

"Hello, _Derek_ ," Fuentes said. Raising his arm, Fuentes drove it forward, as if he were going to punch Derek in the gut. But his fist never landed. Instead, Derek felt cold steel slide between his ribs.


	17. Fighting For His Life

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hey, all! Thanks so much for the reviews. Here's the next one for ya. I appreciate you taking the time to read it.**

The gunshot wound in Derek's shoulder had been enough to slow him down, but a knife in the gut along withthe bullet was different. With a gasp, Derek's arm fell from his daughter's shoulder. He stumbled forward, but Fuentes caught him, plunging the knife into his stomach yet again. His gun flung from his hand and across the room.

"Did you really think you could come here without giving me my money?" Fuentes hissed in Derek's ear.

"He doesn't have it!" Idina screamed. "Diego took it, he told me!"

Fuentes ignored her, struggling to punch Derek as he squirmed. Derek tried shoving his palm into Fuentes' nose, but the blood loss had done its job. A third stab between his ribs and his arms fell to the ground. His vision began to blur as Fuentes' fist slammed into his face. He was sure his nose was broken based on the blood pouring from his nostrils.

"You may have killed every last man I had here and saved your family, but now I'm going to kill you," Fuentes said, taking a break from his merciless beating to grab Derek by the collar.

Derek couldn't even reply. His voice was caught in his throat, pain freezing his vocal chords. He grasped at the wooden floor, scraping at the scratchy floor. Splinters buried away in his fingertips. Derek could no longer see Idina. He prayed she had left the room to find her mother and brother.

Fuentes pulled Derek up to his face level, grinning wickedly at him. "Did I stab all that resilience out of you, Derek?" he asked with a chuckle. "Or maybe beat it out? You've got an _awful_ lot of blood flowing out of you."

All Derek could do was cough in response.

" _Get off of him_!"

The sound of Idina's voice, shrill and full of rage, broke through the room. Derek's body was completely rigid, but he turned his neck to the side where he saw her standing. Her arms were outstretched, shaking, as she held Derek's dropped gun. She held it clumsily, not sure of how to hold it. All she seemed to know was the gun was pointed at Fuentes.

"Dee…" Derek croaked.

Fuentes chuckled from above Derek. "You don't even know how to hold that, young lady," he said. "What makes you think you'd be able to shoot me?"

Idina's lower lip trembled, but she didn't lower the gun. "Get away from my dad," she said. "Get away, or I _will_ shoot you."

"Do you really think you could take a life?" Fuentes said, chuckling the whole time. "Do you really think you could do something that would make you hate yourself anymore than you already do?"

Her eyes went wide, and her hands shook even more. "Wh – " she started to say.

"Diego told me all about the marks on your arms," Fuentes said. "You can't shoot me. It would destroy you."

"Shut up!" Idina shouted.

Derek tried to lift his head, his arm, anything. Idina was scared, every limb shaking as tears soaked her face. He needed to help her. But his eyes…his eyes needed to close, even if he didn't want them to.

"You know you can't do this, I know you can't do this," Fuentes laughed manically. "Hell, your father knows it, even as he lays bleeding on the floor! You're nothing but a weak little girl who's pretending to be strong." He shook his head. "You won't shoot me."

Idina bent her head, choking on a cry. The gun lowered, and she wept harder. Derek wanted to tell her it was alright, that if Fuentes killed him it would leave time for her and their family to get away.

"I told you: you couldn't pull that trigger," Fuentes said. He cackled, and then Derek felt the knife slide into his gut one last time. Derek gasped as a whole new wave of agony swept through him. His eyes really started to close now, like they were weighed down by cement. "You're weak, and – "

But before he could finish his statement, the sound of a gun cracked through the room. A second one rang out next, followed by the repeated clicking of the trigger. Idina let out a cry, full of agony. Derek couldn't see what had happened to Fuentes, but with the only sound being Idina's cries of despair, he could only assume he was shot.

"Dad?"

Derek forced his eyes open so he could see Idina hovering above him. She placed her hands on his bullet wound, but when she saw the blood on her own hands she only cried harder.

"Oh, God!" she cried. "Dad? Dad, you have to stay awake!"

He coughed, but the pain wracked his body again and he told himself to keep every last cough in. He tried to do what Idina told him, though.

Idina's tears fell from her eyes and onto his face. "Dad, please," she begged. "Please don't fall asleep. I'm sorry. I'm so, _so_ sorry!"

He shook his head from side to side with a stiff neck. "No…no apology…" he grunted.

"No," she wept. "I have to say this. I'm so sorry for everything, for all the years. I never should've said those things. Everything fell apart and I did, too…and then I took it out on you." She bent her head again, biting her lip.

Derek managed to lift his hand enough to grasp his daughter's hand. His grip was flimsy, but he managed to reach out. "You're…my daughter," he said. "…don't ever need…to apologize to me." Finally his voice box closed off; it hurt too much to speak. He gave into his eyes' desire to close.

Idina squeezed his hand, but he lost sight of her the moment his eyes closed. "I – " She stopped abruptly, shaking his good uninjured shoulder. "Dad, open your eyes! _Please_!"

Her voice faded away until he was left with nothing but the ringing in his ears and the pain in every inch of his body.

XXXXX

 _Several Hours Later_

"I'm fine, really," Penelope muttered, as a doctor used a piece of gauze with antiseptic to clean the cut on her cheek.

Dr. Tyson, the ER doctor, clucked her tongue. "You were held captive for over three days, you have several contusions on your face, and you're dehydrated," she said. "We're attending to your children, as well."

Penelope grabbed the doctor's wrist, forcing Tyson to look her in the eye. "What about Derek?" she demanded. "Where is he?"

Dr. Tyson stared back at her. "Ma'am, we're doing everything we can for him," she said. "But you need to understand…he's in very, _very_ poor condition. He's lost a lot of blood."

"Can't you tell me more?" Penelope asked, ready to beg.

Dr. Tyson shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "I really think you should wait for the surgeon."

Tears filled Penelope's eyes. Her hand dropped from Dr. Tyson's wrist, and she wiped her cheeks. How could this have happened? She couldn't lose him, not after all they had been through…could she?

She fell silent after hearing about Derek's condition. The doctor continued to take care of Penelope's injuries, and her mind started to wander. She remembered finding Idina in the cabin, sobbing over Derek's unconscious and bleeding body. Inches away from Idina and Derek was the body of Diablo Fuentes, a bullet in his jaw and the other bullet buried in the woodwork of the house right behind where his body was slumped over.

Idina had been so hysterical she was sedated before they were taken to the hospital.

"Agent Morgan?"

Penelope withdrew herself from her memories. Two men, one of them BAU Agent Hanson, in crisp suits, followed closely by JJ. The men wore expression of cold indifference, but JJ's eyes were red and puffy. She went forward and hugged Penelope tightly.

"The kids?" JJ asked, pulling away.

"Idina is in a room, Fox is with her," Penelope answered. She looked around JJ's body to observe the two agents in the room.

"Agent Morgan, where is your husband?" the agent who Penelope did not know asked.

She glared at both of them. "It's Garcia, and what's wrong with you both?" she asked. "Why do you need to know where Derek is? You look like you're about to arrest a criminal."

"That's because we're arresting him," Hanson said. "For murder."

Penelope rose from the hospital bed abruptly, nearly knocking her doctor over. "What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded. "Who would he have murdered?"

"One of my agents in the New York field office," the agent said. "I'm Agent Collins, ma'am, and I've got solid evidence that implicates your husband in the murder."

Penelope was ready to spit on the man for even saying this. "How dare you?" she hissed. "He is laying on an operating table after coming up to save me and our children. He didn't murder anyone."

"Vigilante justice is also a crime," Hanson said, a smirk on his face.

"You're a son of a bitch, you know that, Hanson?" Penelope spat.

Dr. Tyson and JJ each put a hand on Penelope's shoulder in an attempt to calm her. "Both of you get out," the doctor said, gesturing for Penelope to sit down. "Derek Morgan is in a serious condition, and he won't be in any condition to talk to you for at least forty-eight hours after he gets out." Her expression turned grim, and she placed a hand on Penelope's arm…a warning. "That is if he makes it through this."

Neither agent seemed sympathetic to the answer, even as Penelope choked on a cry and bent her head. She fell against JJ, wanting everything to fade away.

"Get out," JJ snapped at both agents. "We're going to fight those charges." She paused for a moment. "And Hanson…consider your job in jeopardy. _When_ we clear Derek's name, I'm getting your sorry ass off the team."

" _If_ you can convince any federal judge to keep this from going to trial," Collins snapped. Shrugging, Hanson followed Collins out of the medical bay.

Dr. Tyson glared after them. "I'm going to go let security know to keep them away from the OR," she said, removing her latex gloves. "We can't stop them from coming in after he's out, but I don't trust them to stay out of the surgical ward." She looked at Penelope with empathy and sighed. "You can go see your children now, Penelope. You're all done."

As soon as everyone vacated the room, JJ sat beside Penelope, wrapping her arm around Penelope's shoulders. "Hey, hey listen, Garcie," she said, bumping her head against Penelope's. "He's going to be okay. He's going to come out of that surgery, and Kate, Monty, and I are going to find a way to beat those bastards."

"None of this would have happened if we had just worked through our problems three years ago…if _I_ had tried harder!" she said, hating that she was falling apart when she needed to find Idina and Fox.

JJ shook her head vigorously. "No, you can't think like that. I know everything feels hopeless right now, but you have to stay strong for your kids. Idina and Fox need you more than ever right now. Derek is going to wake up soon, and you can both fix everything between you. It is _not_ your fault. Your marriage fell apart because of things that got in the way."

Penelope sniffled, wiping her cheeks. She knew JJ was right; she had to remain a rock for her children. She needed to believe Derek would wake up and be fine. That was who she was: an optimist. As if some twist of fate wanted her to get back to that part of herself, a memory of what Derek had once told her – what felt like eons ago – wiggled its way into her mind.

 _Everything we do together is pure magic, Baby Girl. As long as we have that, nothing is going to keep us apart._

She rose from the hospital bed, as if those words lifted her off her feet. "You're right," she murmured. "Let's go find my children."

All she could do now was be with her family and try to hold onto any shred of hope that had not been ripped out of her.


	18. Recovering

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hello from Germany this time! Here's the next chapter of this story. It'll be wrapping up here very soon, so keep an eye out for my next story, which will be an AU type of dealio ;) Thank you so much for the reviews as well!**

"I'm going to make it up to him," Idina said, staring at Derek as he lay on his ICU bed following his surgery. "Everything I said to him, I'm going to try and make it right."

Penelope looked up at her daughter as she stroked Fox's hair. Her son lay with his head on her lap while he slept. She tilted her head to the side as she observed Idina. Idina now wore a set of hospital issued clothing, and Derek's blood had been washed from her skin. Since Derek had been released from surgery and they were told he could have visitors that were family, Idina had been glued to her father's side.

"You won't need to make anything up to him," Penelope said. "He won't let you apologize."

Idina sniffled. "He already told me that. When he…when he was bleeding on the floor." She shook his head. "I don't care, though. I know it seems like I'm just doing this because he saved our lives. But it really did make me realize what was wrong with how I treated people. Yeah, the chemistry in my brain is messed up, but that's no excuse."

"Baby, you know it's going to be impossible for you to get him to accept that apology," Penelope said. "He's already told you there's nothing he wants you to apologize for." She knew there was no convincing Idina, though.

Looking away from Idina momentarily, Penelope watched as Derek's chest rose and fell with his even breathing. Idina saw this as redemption and a chance to repair her relationship with her father; Penelope saw this as nothing but the fault of herself for divorcing her husband. She'd meant what she told JJ, that this would never have happened if the divorce had not happened.

If anyone needed to apologize to Derek, it was Penelope.

"He's going to wake up," Idina said, nodding with tearful confidence. "He'll wake up and I'll fix everything."

Turning her attention back to Idina, Penelope wiped tears from her cheeks. She didn't have the heart to tell Idina there was a chance Derek would never wake up.

And she hoped to God he would make it. Derek didn't deserve to die with his wrist handcuffed to a hospital bed.

XXXXX

JJ sat in the hospital waiting room, wringing her hands together as she tried to think of ways to clear Derek's name from the murder charge. The prints on the murder weapon were damning, but with Fuentes having been Derek's boss, Derek's knife could have easily been lifted and used by someone else to kill the agent from New York's field office.

The agents from New York, along with Hanson, had blocked her from any information on the case. But despite her being denied information, she knew there was one person who most certainly could access it, given a small amount of time.

Picking up her phone, JJ quickly dialed Monty's number. She hoped he was still awake and at the Bureau.

After three rings, a yawn sounded on the other side of the line. "Huh? Yeah?" Monty said.

"Monty, it's JJ," she said, hastily. "I need your help with something."

Monty groaned. "JJ, I love you to death, but I'm exhausted as hell," he said. "Is there any – "

"It's important," she said, cutting him off. "Right now Derek is in the hospital, but he's handcuffed to a bed. He really needs us to get him out of this because right now he can't do anything to help himself."

Instantly, Monty perked up. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Hack into every piece of information on the agent's death," she said. "Look for anything the bastards from New York or Hanson and Umber might have overlooked. They went straight to Derek without looking at anything other than that knife. Without Fuentes or any other possible witness still alive, we're going to need anything you can find."

"I'll get the coffee started and get right on it," Monty promised, hanging up the line before JJ could say anything else.

Pocketing her phone once again, JJ rose from her seat to start back toward Morgan's room. Since Derek had come out of surgery and had been placed in the ICU, JJ vowed she would stand guard to make sure none of the New York agents could try and harass him. She stood outside the door, peering in to see Penelope sitting on the edge of Derek's bed. Idina and Fox lay asleep on the couch on the other side of the room.

Penelope was oblivious to the world as she ran her hand over the top of Derek's head. She no longer had tears to cry, but there was clearly a devastation that she could hardly contain shining in her eyes.

JJ crossed her arms over her chest, keeping herself locked in place. She couldn't disturb her friends. They needed whatever time with Derek they could get before the real shitstorm hit them when he woke up.

XXXXX

 _Don't you know I'm going to love you forever?_

Time had ceased to mean anything to Penelope since getting to the hospital. All she could do was replay the sounds of Derek's voice over and over until it bounced across the walls of her skull. She had hardly moved from her spot at the edge of Derek's bed. Her children slumbered on the couch, leaving her to sit with the still unconscious Derek.

She reached her hand up to stroke his forehead. She had nothing more she could do right now. All she could do was wait for him to wake up.

Picking Derek's hand up, Penelope kissed his knuckles. She had no tears left. She could only sit there and wait.

"Please, Derek. _Please_ wake up!" she whispered fervently. "I have to tell you how sorry I – "

"Penelope!"

Startled, Penelope dropped Derek's hand and looked up to what had interrupted him. In the doorway of Derek's room stood Grant, a frantic expression on his face. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and he rushed to her side. Yanking her into his arms, Grant held her tightly. She felt stiff and awkward in his embrace.

"Gr – Grant, how did you know to come here?" she sputtered, pulling him out of the room to keep him from waking her children.

He shook his head, pushing his disheveled hair out of his eyes. He was delirious and panicked, clutching her tightly in his arms. "JJ told me when I called after not hearing from you for a week," he said, pulling her closer. "Are you okay? What happened? Jesus, if I had been there, they wouldn't have been able to take you and the kids!"

Gently, she pushed his arms down so she could step backwards. "Grant, I really don't think you need to feel responsible for this," she said. "They would have just killed you." Even as they stood in the hall, though, Penelope's eyes started to drift back toward Derek in his bed.

"Honey," Grant said, taking her hands as he tried to regain her attention. "Honey, I'm so sorry about the fight we had. I'm so sorry I said those things to Idina, and I'm so sorry about the things I said to you."

Penelope blinked at Grant, unsure of what to say. In fact, she had only just remembered she was with this man, and _not_ with Derek. Swallowing hard, she touched his chest in a friendly manner.

"Grant, you're – "

But Grant didn't give her a chance to say anything. "Listen, I want us to move forward," he prattled on. "I don't know why I didn't do this earlier, but we need to get married. I'll do everything to make it right so we can move on with our life. I'll even make it up to Idina, and…" He shook his head and smiled. "I don't even have a ring yet, but I'll get one as soon as we get home." He took her hands, bringing up one to kiss it.

Penelope rubbed her forehead. "Grant, I…I can't do this," she said, taking her hand back from his. "I can't marry you."

"Wh – what?" he stammered. "What did you do say?"

"You've been wonderful to me the last few years, but we can't get married," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "It won't work out."

Grant shook his head, incredibly confused. "I don't understand," he said. "Is this because of what happened? I thought you loved me."

She bit her lip. "I can't marry you because I don't love you," she said. "It sounds blunt, but I don't love you. We've been together for two years, but all through those years I was never in love with you. It's always been Derek. Always." She looked back into the hospital room at Derek as he lay on the bed in his perpetual state of unconsciousness.

Grant was quiet. "Derek," he repeated bluntly. "You're still in love with _him_?"

"Yes," she murmured. "I love him." She turned to look at Grant, this time wanting to keep his gaze. She couldn't lie to him anymore. His eyes, full of hurt, gazed into hers with a sadness unlike one she had ever seen before. Feeling horrible, she bent her head and shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Grant. He's my…I just…I love him. I never should have left him. I don't care how cliché it sounds, but he's my other half."

He opened his mouth, then closed it once again. "I…I'll just be going," he said, backing away from her like a kicked dog. He turned on his heel without a sound. Penelope watched him go, but he stopped for a moment.

"Just tell me one thing," he said, turning around to face her again. She nodded, waiting for his question. "Did – did you cheat on me other than that time before he left for this undercover assignment?"

She said nothing.

She saw he understood the silent answer. Without another word, he turned, and shoving his hands in his pockets before heading back off down the hall, he left a bittersweet, but relieved and free Penelope in his wake.


	19. Rebuilding Begins

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Hey, all! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. Story should be wrapping up very shortly, like I've mentioned before. Then we're off to AU-land!**

Each breath Derek took felt like the knife Diablo Fuentes had stuck in his gut. He wheezed a few times, trying to lift his arm. He was unsuccessful. His eyes fluttered open, though, and the stark white of a hospital room greeted him. The brightness flashed into his eyes, stinging them. Derek winced hard.

" _Dad_?"

Blinking several times, Derek sought to find where Idina's voice came from. The white blotches morphed into actual shapes. In front of him, Idina materialized. She had been cleaned up, her hair brushed back and she now wore a hospital issued sweatshirt and sweatpants.

"Dee?"

His voice came out like a frog's croak. He searched the room briefly for Fox and Penelope, but it was he and his daughter alone in the room. Looking back at Idina, he tried to smile. "Where'd your mom and brother go? They're okay?"

Idina nodded at him, taking his hand. "They went to get something to eat," she said. "They're fine."

Derek swallowed hard. "Are _you_ okay?" he asked. "Did…" He choked on his own voice. "…did they hurt you before I got there?"

She nodded. "I'm okay," she said. "They didn't do anything to me."

Fresh tears, something he had not been in his eyes in a long time, filled his eyes as he looked at his daughter. He inhaled deeply. "Idina," he said. "I have to say something."

"Dad, you're – " Idina tried to say.

He shook his head, cutting her off. "No, I have to say this," he grunted. "I need to tell your mom and brother this, too, but I owe you an apology for the last few years since your mom and I split." He coughed, trying to regain control of his breath. "You were right: I wasn't being a good dad. I didn't take care of you like I should of. I wasn't there for you and your brother. I wasn't there fore your mom."

Derek took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily to rid his eyes of the tears. When he opened them again, Idina was watching him with a gentle gaze. She said nothing, patiently waiting for him to finish the way he had asked her to let him.

"I'm so sorry, Dee," he croaked. "I'm sorry I wasn't the dad you deserved. If I had been, none of this would have happened, and we wouldn't be here. The only thing I can do now is try and make it up to you."

Idina, dry-eyed, smiled at him. "We move on from here, Dad," she said. "We're going to move on, and it'll be okay." She leaned forward to hug him, careful of his wounds. "I meant what I told you: I'm so sorry for how everything happened. I'm going to fix it because you're my dad, and I don't want you to think I hate you ever again."

"Idina, I already told you that you don't – " he tried to say.

"But I do need to," she insisted. "And eventually I'm gonna make it up to you. I promise." She smiled, opening her mouth to say more. Before she could speak though, three men entered the room, trailed by JJ and a doctor.

Derek glared at Hanson and two men he knew vaguely from the New York field office. "Good to see you, Hanson," he muttered. "How ya been, buddy?"

Hanson glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest in imitation of both the New York agents. He shook his head at Derek.

"I wouldn't be sarcastic right now if I were you," Hanson shot back. "You're in a lot of trouble here, Morgan. And we're here right now to place you under arrest for the murder of Supervisory Special Agent Harrison Jagger."

Using the hand that wasn't handcuffed to the bed, he rubbed his forehead. "I've got no idea what to do to convince you that I didn't do it," he muttered. Idina stood up next to him, looking ready to fight the agents twice her size.

Hanson snorted at Derek. "You can try, but we've got – "

"You've got problems, that's what you've got," JJ said, pushing her way past each agent to stand in front of Derek's hospital bed.

One of the New York field agents scoffed at her. "Agent Jareau, you were told you were allowed to be here because your friend was injured, but you were explicitly told you were to have no part in the investigation."

"Well, I think you're going to want to hear what I have to say about this, because you have got the wrong man right now," JJ said, her voice dangerously low. "I found some information that you will want. The place where your man's body was found had video cameras."

Hanson rolled his eyes. "Those cameras were found to have the tapes erased," he said. "I checked personally, and – "

JJ interrupted, "That's precisely my point. _You_ checked them personally." Pulling her phone from her pocket, she presented it to the lead New York field agent. Derek couldn't see what was on it, but based on the shocked look on the other agent's face, it was safe to assume it was something to help in Derek's defense.

The New York field agent's eyes flicked between the phone screen and Hanson. "What am I looking at, and why are you implying Hanson had anything to do with this?" he asked JJ.

"That video clearly exonerates Morgan of the crime, as it shows Diego Alvarez killing your agent," JJ said. "However, that's not the only important thing this video proves. My analyst and I found that Hanson not only knew about this video and covered it up, but he tried erasing any evidence of it." She turned to Hanson and smirked. "Not only do I have a witness who puts you in the room with the computer he showed you the video on, but he says that he found it deleted from his system after you left. Luckily for Morgan, the camera that caught him has backup copies on servers in New York."

Derek exchanged a glance with a gleeful Idina.

"What is she talking about, Hanson?" the New York agent asked.

Idina was the one who spoke this time. "You know damn well what this means," she snapped. "It means my dad is innocent, and that asshole framed him!"

Derek smiled proudly at his daughter, noting that she had caused Hanson's face to go a pale, milky white. Idina never looked away from him, either. She glared at him with a ferocity that would have frozen even Derek's blood.

"She's right," JJ said. "Now, I suggest you use this warrant I obtained from a federal judge that is to arrest this man for obstruction of justice." She nodded decisively. "Uncuff Agent Morgan and let him be with his family. They've been through enough, and your damn _investigation_ hasn't helped."

The New York field agent glared at Hanson, pushed him aside, and undid Derek's handcuff. He swallowed hard. "Morgan, I'm…I'm sorry," he said. "We made a mistake."

Derek just nodded at him. Instead of saying anything to the agent, he lifted his weak arm and took his daughter's hand. He was done with dealing with these false murder charges. He didn't even watch with satisfaction as a silent, speechless Hanson was dragged from the room.

Once they were gone, Derek shot a look in JJ's direction. "Thank you," he said. "For everything."

JJ smiled, giving Derek's shoulder a squeeze. "When we get home, tell Monty that, too," she said. "He did the computer work. I just told him to do it." Nodding, she turned to leave the room. As she reached the door, Penelope and Fox appeared, both shocked and holding drinks. A broad grin stretched across Fox's face, and he hurried to his father's side.

"Dad!" he cried, hugging Derek. "You're awake!"

Derek winced, but smiled. "Yeah, I'm awake."

Penelope looked at JJ, a look of both confusion and joy.

"Everything will be fine," JJ told her, giving her a hug. "Go be with him."

Sputtering, Penelope shook her head, her eyes glistening with tears. "I – what – ?"

JJ just smiled and left the room, leaving the Morgans to start the rebuilding in their family.


	20. We're Getting Married Again Sex

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Finally, the time has come to finish up this story! It's been a fun ride, and I've enjoyed working on it, but it's time to move on. This ending is pretty easy going compared to the rest of the story. (I had a** _ **really**_ **hard time figuring out how to end this story, so bear with me on it!) Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed, as well!**

"Fox, are you almost ready to go to your grandma's yet?" Penelope called, flopping a laundry basket down on the couch. "She's gonna be here to pick you up in about ten minutes."

Fox's response came swiftly. "Geez, Mom!" he hollered back. "Almost done. Chill!"

Penelope rolled her eyes. Her son at thirteen was much more difficult to handle than her daughter ever was. Sometimes it didn't pay well to have the extrovert gene run in the family.

"Don't be a smartass, just get down here," she replied under her breath.

Padding out of her living room, she headed for the kitchen. She needed a break from trying to get her children ready to go to Fran's house for a two week period before school started for the year. It had been over a year since her family had been kidnapped and retrieved, since they had been reunited. She was reluctant to let her children go at all after the trauma they had endured, but her therapist told her they needed to start moving forward at some point.

In the kitchen, Derek and Idina sat at the table. They handed one another brochures from the beginning of Idina's college hunting. Penelope smiled at them. Since Derek had returned home, Idina had taken a turn for the better. As her relationship with him repaired, so too did her mental health. Her grades improved, she slept less, and she smiled more.

"Hey, you two," she said, going up behind Idina and kissing the top of her head. "Grandma's going to be here soon. Your stuff is all packed, right?"

Idina glanced up at Penelope briefly and nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm all good," she said flippantly. She turned her attention back to her father. "Dad, what about Georgetown? Aunt JJ said that's a good one."

Derek shrugged, flipping through the brochure she'd handed him. "Well, that depends," he mused. "You want to be this close to me and your mother?" He flashed Idina a teasing smile. She threw back an irritated look, making him laugh. "That's true. It's probably your mother more than me who would be a pain in the ass living this close to us."

Swatting at his arm, Penelope said, "I would not. Don't listen to your father, sweetie. I'm not the one who will wave a gun at your boyfriends."

Idina rolled her eyes at both of them and snatched the Georgetown brochure from her father. "Alright, _both_ of you are driving me nuts at this moment, so that makes Georgetown a big N-O."

Derek barked a laugh. "Fair enough," he said.

Before Penelope could object further to the teasing, a knock sounded from the front door. She was about to go toward it when Fox called out that he was getting it. Moments later, he appeared in the kitchen with Fran, who had her arm around her grandson.

"Oh my goodness, this is a sight I never thought I'd see again," Fran said, a broad grin spreading across her face. "All four of you in the same room, smiling."

Derek rose to his feet, going to give his mother a hug. "Hey, Mama," he said. "Good to see you, too."

Fran kissed her son's cheek, before going to Penelope next. "My favorite daughter-in-law," Fran murmured, giving her a tight squeeze.

"Your only daughter-in-law," Penelope pointed out, not bothering to add that she had not technically been her daughter-in-law for several years.

Fran shrugged. "I'd say it even if you weren't the only one."

Penelope laughed. "You're too much." Fran was always too kind to her, even after her marriage with Derek fell apart.

"When are we heading out?" Idina asked as she moved in for a hug. "I can't wait to see Aunt Des. I've got a movie for us to watch together."

Kissing her granddaughter on the forehead, Fran cupped Idina's cheek. "Whenever you both are ready to go and have your butts in the car," she said. She jerked her head toward the door. "Go fetch your things. We'll leave as soon as you have them. First one down gets shotgun."

Fox's eyes immediately lit up, and he grinned before rushing from the room. Idina merely rolled her eyes and simply walked out. Penelope's anxiety started to bubble in her gut as the inevitable departure of her children approached. She knew this was supposed to help with moving on, but maybe she could go with to –

"I can tell what you're thinking," Derek murmured, massaging her shoulders and breaking her thought process. "But we need to let them do this."

Penelope's head jerked in the direction of Derek's voice, and she gulped. "I know that," she protested, quicker than she should have to avoid suspicion. "I'm just…nervous."

"Me and Des will take good care of them," Fran assured her, taking her hand to give it a squeeze. She gave Penelope a comforting smile. "It'll be okay. If you want, I'll make them call you every night."

Brightening slightly, Penelope opened her mouth to say that would be a good idea. Derek beat her to the punch, though.

"Uh, no Mom, that'll be okay," he said. "The therapist said this would be good. We've got to do it." He leaned over and kissed Penelope's temple comfortingly. "They're going to be okay."

Wringing her hands together, Penelope glanced between Derek and Fran. She knew her anxiety was radiating throughout the room, but she hadn't yet figured out the trick to hiding it. Biting her lip, she just nodded.

"Mom freakin' out about us leaving again?" Fox asked, reentering the room with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

Idina followed after him. "Of course she is," she said, setting her own bag down on the kitchen table. She ruffled her brother's hair before going to hug Penelope. "We'll be alright, Mom."

"I love you both so much," Penelope murmured, pulling Fox into the hug so she had both of them in her arms. Tears unconsciously pricked her eyes, and her grip tightened on them.

After a moment, her kids cleared their throats at the same time. "Uh, Mom?" Fox said. "You're kind of suffocating us here." Reluctantly, Penelope released them. She wiped her eyes, noticing that both her kids were trying to hide their laughter.

"Oh, stop making fun of your poor mother," Fran said, ruffling both her grandchildren's hair. "We're about to leave, so be nice to her." They all began walking toward the door, the children with their bags in tow.

"We'll see you hooligans in two weeks," Derek said as Idina and Fox followed Fran to her car. He put his arm around Penelope as their children got in the car and waved to them one last time. As the car drove pulled off down the driveway, Derek kissed her temple. "They're gonna be okay, Baby Girl. I know they will be."

Penelope knew he was right, but she inhaled deeply and tried to push away her fears.

XXXXX

"Whew!" Penelope breathed as Derek rolled off her. "I'll say one thing about your mother taking the kids: it's really giving us some quality alone time."

Derek laughed, rubbing his sweaty forehead. He missed his children already, and like Penelope, he'd had a hard time letting them go, but having the whole house to themselves had its advantages. Pulling Penelope toward his side, he kissed her forehead and kept his arm snugly around her.

"They will be okay, you know?" he murmured, trailing the tips of his fingers up and down her arm. It was partly for her benefit, but telling it to himself would help make him feel better. "Mom will take good care of them, and the bad guy is dead."

Wrapping her arm tighter around his waist, Penelope took his hand in hers, kissing his palm. "I know," she said softly. "I just never want to lose them the way we almost did back then. Fuentes almost took everything from me, Derek. I can't have that happen ever again."

He played with the tips of her hair, bobbing his head all the while. "I know what you mean, Baby Girl," he whispered. "But he's dead. And no one is ever taking our kids again…just like no one is taking _you_ from me again."

Penelope laughed against him, running her fingers over his chest. "Well, I'd say no one, or rather, no _job_ , is going to take you from me again," she said, "but this whole last year I've not almost lost you at all."

Derek shook his head. "That happened before," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I won't lose you to some pussy like Grant again." He knew he sounded deathly serious, but he needed to. After nearly losing his family, both Penelope and his daughter, to his own ambitions, he wasn't letting anything get in the way again.

Penelope was silent for a moment, as if mulling over his iron tone. But her answer was anything but serious. "I've always wondered this, but did we ever technically 'break up'?" she murmured. "I mean, we never stopped sleeping together, so..."

Laughter bubbled from his lips, and he allowed his heart to lighten momentarily. "Silly girl," he whispered. Sitting up straight, he swatted her bottom once before swinging his legs over the side of the bed to head to the dresser.

"Oh, Hot Stuff don't cover that beautiful tush of yours," she protested. He threw a wink over his shoulder at her as she stretched out completely on their king-size bed. "It's not even midnight yet. We're not done."

Derek pulled open one of his drawers and produced a small velvet box from it. He went back to the bed and cupped her cheek. "No," he said, kissing her lips gently. "We're not done. Not even close." He took her left hand and slid the engagement ring he'd given her almost twenty years ago back into place. Before he could even look up at her again, he stared at the ring on her finger for a long moment. He wanted to keep the image of this in his head for a long, long while.

Looking up at her finally, he saw tears shimmering on the surface of her eyes. Despite his years of being a renowned profiler and being able to read a whole person's history based on nothing but their face, Derek found himself at a loss for how to read the woman he loved.

"Why do you look so nervous?" she asked with a slight laugh and a sniffle.

"Well, you look like you're about to cry," he said, "so –"

She pulled him into a fierce kiss, making him lose track of all thoughts. When she broke it, she rested their foreheads together.

When she remained silent, he said, "I know we got a bit lost along the way, but I don't want anyone else. You're the only one I've ever wanted. Will have you me again, Penelope Garcia? The bad and the worst?"

She nodded, kissing him once again. "I'll take the good and the best," she whispered.

Heart brimming with jaw, Derek laid Penelope back on the sheets. His hands ran up and down her side, heating both their bodies and building their arousal. Penelope's breathing increased, and she moaned low in her throat. He dotted wet kisses up her shoulder to her neck. He suckled on the tender flesh of her neck as he simultaneously stroked between her thighs.

"You know what we're doing right now?" she asked huskily.

"Hmm?" he asked. He had several ideas for what they were doing. Fixing their marriage. Rebuilding what they had. Making everything better.

Penelope grabbed his face to look her right in the eyes. "We're having 'We're getting married again sex.'" She giggled.

Pushing her hair behind her ear, Derek smiled. This moment was so much more than that. After everything he'd been through – unsubs, rivals for Penelope's affections, tensions with his daughter – he finally had everything back. And he didn't ever plan to lose everything again.

"Hell yes we are," he growled, flipping them over so she was on top of him.


End file.
